Monsters
by Shinigami-cat
Summary: Gilbert is a famous writer, who specializes in works on famous killers. After throwing around ideas with his editor he ends up in Nightingale Research and Rehabilitation centre, there he meets a nineteen year old named Matthew Williams, an unfortunate with a dark past.
1. The Idea

**Shinigami-cat: **Hope you all like this next story! I OWN NOTHING!

**Summary:**

**Gilbert is a famous writer, who specializes in works on famous killers. After throwing around ideas with his editor he ends up in Nightingale Research and Rehabilitation centre, there he meets a nineteen year old named Matthew Williams, an unfortunate with a dark past.**

**Warning:**

**Horror, possible yaoi, possible graphic death scenes, you have been warned**

**Monsters**

**The Idea**

_Some monsters are easy to spot. They stand in the streets and beg for your company if you have the money. They steal and rob and murder. They take drugs and hurt those around them. Some are scared and disfigured. Others are harder to spot. They seem perfectly normal until you get to know them and see their true self, and when you see that dark and twisted side it's too late. You can't turn back and run. You're trapped... But does is that such a bad thing?_

**XoXoXo oXoXoX**

A woman stood in front of a desk in the middle of a dimly lit room. Red carpet on the floor, wooden panel walls and bookshelf stuffed with encyclopaedias, dictionaries, horror novels and a suspicious box set that the woman assumed was concealing pornography. Sitting on the other side of the desk was a man in a leather swivel chair, who was blissfully typing away on his laptop. Not even giving the woman an ounce of attention.

The woman growled and slammed her hands against the table making the man jump. "You need to come up with another idea soon!" Snapped the woman. This woman's name was Elizabeth. She was usually a pleasant woman, but she always seemed to lose her cool around her arrogant, obnoxious, egotistical, narcissistic, albino friend. It didn't help that she was technically his boss.

Said albino just laughed at her and closed his laptop. "Come on Liz." He said. "I don't want to write any more stories about killers for a while. I just want to take a holiday for a while… How does a year or two in Australia sound? You can bring that prick of a boyfriend of yours too. My treat."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "This is not a laughing matter Gilbert! You can't live off royalties forever! You need to write another book or starve! I doubt your brother's going to want you living with him again!"

Gilbert rolled his ruby red eyes and looked up at the fuming brunet. Sometimes Elizabeth was a real bitch. "Fine… I'll come up with an idea… What's big in the news right now? Any killers need a biography? A collection of small time criminals perhaps?"

Elizabeth picked up a newspaper that was sitting on Gilbert's desk and started to flip through the pages. "Let's see… Earthquake in Japan… Drunk brawls…Tentacula… Oh and it's the one year anniversary of the Shredder killings."

Gilbert quirked an eyebrow. The Shredder killing was possibly one of the most brutal massacres by a single person since Jack the Ripper. "Isn't that guy that did the Shredder killings a Tentacula? It'll be impossible to talk to him. He's locked up at Nightingale."

Nightingale Research and Rehabilitation centre was one of the most heavily guarded and most controversial government funded organization in all America, if not the world. It was mostly criticized for allowing Tentacula criminals to cut their prison sentences in half or completely if they willingly participated with their research into how Tentacula work.

"Yes. But do Tentacula interest you?" Asked Elizabeth hopefully.

Gilbert thought for a second. He had always wanted to know how Tentacula criminals worked. He wanted to know what made them perform such brutal and horrific acts against humanity. But on the other hand he didn't really feel like giving them anymore bad publicity.

"I guess so… I honestly don't care. It'll be a quick book. All I need is an interview or two and that's that." He said. "If I interview Shredder I don't want to stay near him for too long in case he decided to chop off my head."

Elizabeth smiled a little. "Of course… You know… If I pitch this just right you could get an all access pass into Nightingale… You'll probably have to do a tone of stuff about how good Nightingale is at dealing with Tentacula."

Gilbert scoffed. "So I have to kiss ass for a story? Fuck that shit! I'm going to stay right here and live off my royalties!"

Elizabeth grinned. "Okay! I'll go talk to Roddy right now!" She turned and practically skipped out of the room. "Do your research on Tentacula first! You don't want to appear like some kind of red neck in front of them!"

Gilbert sighed and rolled his eyes. "Why must she ignore me all the fucking time?" He opened up his laptop again and started to have a look into the Shredder killings. There were never any pictures of Shredder. Only photos of the aftermath without the dead bodies. Blood was always everywhere and deep cuts were always etched into the surrounding walls and floor. It was more gruesome than any horror movie.

Full details were never released to the public because at the time of the killings Shredder was a minor, therefore all the public knew about him was that he was seventeen at the time of the killings, he had no immediate family or any family that would come forwards and claim him, he was a Tentacula and he was highly dangerous. The media had slammed him and Nightingale with hundreds of degrading titles over the months that followed his arrest.

Gilbert always despised the media for blowing things out of proportion. They immediately slammed people with horrific names that could and would stay with them for the rest of their lives; the Backpack killer, the Honey Moon killer and all the rest. Who knew their real names now? They were simply one dimensional killers, and the institutions that protected them were just as evil and perverse as the killers themselves.

Gilbert had always been interested in serial killers. He wanted to know what made them tick. More than often it stemmed one of three things; child abuse, sexual or otherwise, post-traumatic stress disorder, in rare cases but it still happened, or it stemmed from sexual perversion, the inability to perform with a partner, the inability to fulfil a sexual desire or even being rejected by a potential lover because of what they see can be triggers for killing someone.

He didn't expect this to be any different. Shredder was a teenager, any of those could have been the trigger. It would be an interesting story, if he was allowed to do it. But considering Elizabeth was a real sweet talker and her boyfriend Roderich AKA Roddy, was one of the head honchos at Nightingale, it was more than likely that he would get the story.

Suddenly he slammed his laptop shut and grinned. "Why didn't I think of it before?" He pulled on a jacket and grabbed his keys before leaving his apartment. He casually walked down to the lavished lobby of fabulous five star hotel he lived in. He walked over to the front desk and grinned. "Hey there Antonio! What's up?"

Antonio looked up at Gilbert and grinned. "Hey amigo, I'm good, where are you going?"

"Just heading out to see my little bro." Said Gilbert happily.

Antonio beamed. "Does Feliciano still live with him? If so say hello to him for me."

"Of course." Said Gilbert. "He might just be able to help me with my new book… He does still volunteer at Nightingale, right?"

"I think so…" Muttered Antonio. "What's your new book about?"

"Shredder." Said Gilbert.

Antonio paled slightly. "Are you sure? I mean he's… He's probably the most dangerous person on the planet."

Gilbert smirked. "Exactly. When I publish this I'll be living off royalties for the rest of my life."

"Right…" Said Antonio. "Because you definitely know that it'll be a best seller."

"Of course it will be!" Exclaimed Gilbert. "And you know why? I'm awesome!" He grinned and turned on his heels, heading towards the parking lot. "Are we still on for drinks later tonight?"

"Of course." Said Antonio. "Francis said he would meet us there later."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

After a quick half hour drive Gilbert was standing outside his brother's two bedroom apartment. He knocked on the door and waited for it to open. After a few seconds a short brunet man opened the door. He was wearing a light green shirt, black skinny jeans and a dark blue apron, but most noticeably was the random hair that curled out of the left side of his head. This was Feliciano.

He smiled happily at Gilbert and ushered him inside. "Hey there Gilbert, did you come by to see Ludwig?"

"Yep." Said Gilbert. He sat on the couch and sighed. "Where is he anyway? I thought today was his day off?"

"He's gone shopping." Said Feliciano as he walked into the kitchen. "Do you want some pasta?" Feliciano was a god when it came to making pasta. There was no way Gilbert could say no.

"Hells yes!" Said Gilbert happily.

Feliciano chuckled a little. "Okay!" From where Gilbert was sitting on the couch he couldn't see Feliciano. "Do you want something to drink? Beer perhaps?"

"Sounds awesome." Said Gilbert happily. He watched as a sleek grey tentacle moved to the other side of the kitchen, opened the fridge, pulled out a beer and casually moved to the couch where Gilbert was.

Gilbert grinned and too the beer. "You're getting better at this Feli."

Feliciano chuckled. "You think so? Ludwig says I'm getting lazy with them. I mean I hardly ever use them unless I need an extra hand to stir something or add a few more ingredients to the sauce." Feliciano was a Tentacula.

Tentacula's had the ability to make a maximum of ten grey tentacles appear from their body at a single time. They were human, they simply had that weird ability. It was all because of a now illegal drug that was used in abortions and relieving pain during pregnancy, known as XV3. It had a horrible habit of mutating a foetus making a few geans that would normally stay dormant activate. It was used for over a decade before it was made illegal.

This led to the XV3 generation. A group of people who had the potential to become Tentacula, but less than two precent did. Those who did become Tentacula usually became such in their early to late teens and were shunned by the rest of society. Luckily there a few good people that didn't care about that. They just saw it as something odd, but nothing to discriminate against.

Gilbert was one such person. The way he saw it, it didn't matter if you were black, white, Asian, Muslim, Christian, Jewish or anything else for that matter. As long as you treated him like an equal he would treat you like an equal, even if he was way more awesome.

He shrugged and opened his beer, taking a quick sip. "Whatever. If I was a Tentacula I could look at a million different books at once. I wouldn't need to keep flicking backwards and forwards looking for references!"

Feliciano chuckled and walked back into the lounge room carrying two bowls of pasta. "It gets a bit annoying. I mean I have to spend lots of money on shirts. I keep ripping them by accident."

"Still pretty awesome." Said Gilbert as he took the bowl. He twirled the pasta around his fork and ate it. "Delicious as always."

Feliciano beamed and ate some himself. They weren't even halfway through eating their food when a tall, muscular blond man with piercing blue eyes walked through the door, carrying a shopping bag. This was Gilbert's brother, Ludwig.

As soon as the blond saw Gilbert he frowned. "Why might you be here and why aren't you two eating at the table?"

"Sorry Luddy." Said Feliciano.

Gilbert on the other hand pouted. "What? Can't I come by and see my little bro, who just happens to be a doctor at Nightingale?"

"For the last time I'm not giving you a tour." Ludwig growled.

Gilbert stuck out his tongue. "Shut up! I just wanted to ask you if you could give me some basic information on Tentacula. It's for a new book I'm hopefully going to write."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow. "A book on Tentacula? Nice to see you taking a break from writing stuff on serial killers."

"Wrong!" Snapped Gilbert with a smirk. "If I get the go ahead from you superiors I can write a book on the Shredder." Feliciano nearly choked on his pasta and Ludwig paled considerably. "What?" Asked Gilbert. "What did I say?

Ludwig shook his head and walked into the kitchen to put away the groceries. "Gilbert… I'm his doctor and I know he's not stable enough to talk to people. He's clinically insane. He has to take almost lethal amounts of medication to stay harmless. He isn't ready to talk to people."

"He's also really scary!" Cried Feliciano. "There were incidences when he first went there and slaughtered three doctors there!"

Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

"I volunteer there sometimes…" Muttered Feliciano. "As a test subject and as an art teacher… We can tell where we're around others of our kind, even if we've never seen the other use their tentacles before."

"I still want to write a book about him." Said Gilbert. "He seems interesting."

Ludwig rolled his eyes as he leaned against the doorway of the kitchen. "Even if my superiors allow you to write this book, you can't without his consent. I highly doubt that he will want to talk to you. When he isn't off his head because of his medication he's really quiet."

"Who wouldn't want a book written about them by me?" Asked Gilbert. "I'm the awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt! Best seller two years in a row! As long as the name Gilbert Beilschmidt is written on the cover the book will just fly off the shelf! A freaking TV series was based off a book I wrote about that guy that murdered those cheerleaders from seven different states."

"How can you not remember that guy's name?" Asked Ludwig in disbelief. "You spent the better half of a year talking to him!"

Gilbert waved it off. "No offence, but he was a deranged psychopath that raped, butchered and ate the hearts of cheerleaders for fun. I neither care nor want to remember his name… After all, when all's said and done his story's just another pay check to me."

Feliciano frowned. "So you don't really care about the people you interview at all?"

"They are all serial killers." Said Gilbert. "It's hard to care about someone that kills people because something set them off and made them lose their shit."

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "Well they are still people. You can't just view them as pay ch-" Suddenly Ludwig's phone went off. He sighed and answered it. "Hello? Yes? I see… Goodbye."

"Who was it?" Asked Feliciano.

"My superior." Said Ludwig grimly. "You might just get your story after all Gilbert… That is if he agrees to it."

Gilbert grinned from ear to ear. "Awesome! This'll be the next best seller! I'll make millions! Liz will never have to make me write another book again! I can retire early! I am awesome!"

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

"So someone wants to write my biography?" Asked Shredder in a small voice. The medication he was on made it hard for him to concentrate properly.

Ludwig nodded. "Yes. He is quite famous when it comes to biographies on serial killers. You have read a few of his books before. I've seen you reading them in the library."

Shredder giggled a little. "Isn't he your brother? I wonder if his eyes are really as red as his blood." He frowned and shook his head. "Sorry… medication. Hardly know what I'm saying half the time."

Ludwig frowned. Even after being the Shredder's doctor ever since he came to Nightingale a year ago he still didn't feel a hundred precent safe around him. Even if he was in a strait jacket, strapped into a chair that was bolted to the floor and had high levels of morphine pumped into his system to keep him calm and relaxed.

"Yes he is my brother." Said Ludwig sternly. "If any harm comes to him-"

"It's all my fault." Said Shredder with a grin. "It's always my fault. People die because of me. People have always died because of me. Everyone one dies, dies, dies, dies! I'm a beast that needs to be caged! A nineteen year old freak!" He started laughing. "I should just die already! No one gives a shit about me! Anyone that did is already dead anyway!" He looked at Ludwig with cold emotionless eyes. "Sure, I'll let him write my biography! Sounds like fun!"

Ludwig nodded grimly. '_I hope Gilbert know what he's gotten himself into._'

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Gilbert has no idea what he's gotten himself into. Please review!


	2. We Meet

**Shinigami-cat: **Okay! Second chapter… I OWN NOTHING!

**We Meet**

Gilbert rolled his eyes as he waited for his bag to be searched. '_What's the big deal?_' He asked himself. '_All I have is a couple of note books, a phone and a tape recorder. I can't help it if I record my stuff in a retro way. Security here is way too tight._'

He looked over at Elizabeth who was happily chatting away with a security guard. After about a minute of chit chat she was let through. "What the hell?" Snapped Gilbert. "You didn't even check her purse!"

Elizabeth poked out her tongue. "I'm not a security threat." She chuckled as she was buzzed through an iron door. "Hurry up already Gil! We need to find Roddy."

Gilbert rolled his eyes and glared at the security guard that was slowly putting his things back into his bag. "Could you speed it up a little?"

The man glared at Gilbert. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were in a rush. Shut the fuck up and let me do my job."

When Gilbert was finally given his bag back and reunited with Elizabeth He glared at her. "You suck like a cheap whore sometimes."

Elizabeth brushed his insult and started to calmly make her way to the research building. "How would you know? I'd never touch your five millimetres. Not even worth touching it with my foot when I kick the crap out of you."

Gilbert's jaw dropped. "F-five milli-millimeters? You young miss have insulted a national treasure! I demand that you take back that insult right now!"

Elizabeth laughed. "National treasure? More like national tragedy!" With Gilbert's pride ripped to shreds and spat upon, Elizabeth happily walked into the research centre with a smile on her face. She walked up to a woman sitting at the front desk. "Hello. My name is Elizabeth. Could you please let Roddy, I mean Roderich know I'm here please? Oh and inform him that I brought the albino with me."

"The albino has a name!" Snapped Gilbert.

The woman ignored Gilbert's outburst and proceeded to call Roderich. In a matter of minutes a tall man with brown hair, wearing a crisp, with lab coat and glasses. He smiled at Elizabeth, but glared at Gilbert.

"I see security isn't doing their job anymore." Said Roderich. "They just let anyone in these days."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Nice to see you too Roderich." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "So… When do I meet Shredder?"

"In a few hours."

"A few hours?" Whined Gilbert. "I don't want to wait that long! I thought this was just going to be a whole quick interview thing!"

Roderich looked at Elizabeth and frowned. "You… didn't tell him everything did you?" Elizabeth shook her head and Roderich sighed. "Fine… We should probably go to my office and talk this over, touch anything along the way and I'll make sure you get thrown out of here."

Gilbert rolled his eyes and followed Elizabeth and Roderich up the hall. "Whatever."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Roderich's office was small, clean and way too white. It made Gilbert uncomfortable. It all just felt too, sterile and artificial. Roderich took his seat behind his desk and Gilbert and Elizabeth too the seats opposite.

"So what the hell are we talking about?" Asked Gilbert.

"It's quite simple." Said Roderich. "There are certain rules you'll have to follow if you want to write this book. Firstly the book must be twenty five to fifty precent about Nightingale."

Gilbert's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Secondly all information that you obtain from him must be looked over by me to make sure you aren't twisting his words."

"Bullshit!" Cried Gilbert.

"Thirdly you cannot make Nightingale look bad in any way, shape or form."

"You're censoring me!" Snapped Gilbert.

"Finally, if you try to dodge any of the before mentioned rules your book will not get published and you will get kicked out before you have finished your book. Any questions?"

"What the hell?" Growled Gilbert. "Look, I can understand the whole making sure someone reads over it in case a victim's still alive to protect their identity… but this is stupid! Because of my some of my books reforms have been made to the way some prisons have been run!"

"But this isn't a prison." Said Roderich. "This is a government funded research centre. If this place gets closed down because you miss quote something not only will hundreds of people be out of a job, but thousands of Tentacula will have no information about themselves. They will have to rely on rumours that could ultimately destroy any chance they have of a future."

Gilbert frowned. As much as he hated people screwing with the way he worked he really wanted to do this story. "Fine." He growled. "I'll follow your stupid rules. This Shredder had better be worth it."

Elizabeth grinned and clapped her hands together. "Wonderful! Now how about you get yourself familiar with the place? You'll mainly be walking around in the research centre anyway. I have some things I need to discuss with Roddy."

Gilbert pulled a face at that stupid nickname, but he was grateful that Elizabeth had given him a chance to escape. He stood up and stretched. "Fine, my awesomeness is needed elsewhere anyway."

**XoXoXo page break oXoXoX**

The hallways were cold, quiet and way too clean for Gilbert's liking. Every now and then he would look into rooms, only to see scientists working with small sample slides. He wanted to see a Tentacula actually using their tentacles.

He sighed to himself and turned the corner. On the wall was an A3 sized painting of some kind of polar bear. Well he assumed it was a polar bear, it didn't really have much in the way of shape or structure, but it looked like a polar bear to him, a polar bear sitting under a tree of some sort.

He smiled a little. "Cute…"

"Oh for fuck sake… Potato bastard number two is here?"

Gilbert turned around and frowned at the grumpy Italian that was glaring at him. He looked a heck of a lot like Feliciano, but had a hair curl on the other side of his head and quite frankly… he was kind of a dick. He was also a Tentacula.

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Hey Lovino, what's up?"

Lovino just snorted and walked past him. "My stupid fratello slept in late so he asked me to come here instead. Bastard, I have better things to do that to teach a bunch of Tentacula how to paint!"

Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "Um… Aren't you a Tentacula?"

"Really? I had no idea!" Said Lovino sarcastically. "Of course I am! This proof enough for you?" Before Gilbert would even flinch he got smacked upside the head by a grey tentacle that was protruding from the back of Lovino's hand. "What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

Gilbert frowned and rubbed the side of his face. Lovino had always been a real bastard when it came to everyone. The only people he showed even a little respect to were any and all women, and a small handful of people. Gilbert was obviously not one of those people.

"I'm writing a book. I just came by to get accustomed to the place before an interview." He said. "So what's this about painting?"

"It's part of the rehabilitation program they have here." Said Lovino with a frown on his face. "They specifically ask for Tentacula to come in to teach. Some bullshit about the inmates feeling more relaxed around their own kind."

Gilbert shrugged. "Well… what can you do? Do you know who painted the polar bear? Is it some artist's thing or an inmate?"

Lovino walked up to the painting and scowled. "Yeah… one of the inmates did this one. Does a lot of polar bears. He's probably in the art room now. Part of his therapy or some bullshit."

"Okay… Can I come to the art room?"

"Fuck off."

"I'll tell people that you hit me with a tentacle."

"Fine. But if you fuck around in there I'll strangle you." Lovino started to walk down the hallway.

Gilbert rolled his eyes and followed him. "Fair enough."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

The art room was quite small having about four large desks and a few easels set up. In the far corner near a window someone was already painting away. From where they were standing Gilbert could only see the person's legs. They were wearing grey sweat pants.

Gilbert looked over at Lovino and raised an eyebrow. Lovino rolled his eyes. "Most of the people here that do art as part of their therapy also listen to music. More bullshit if you ask me. He probably doesn't even know we're here." With that Lovino walked over to an empty desk, pulled out his laptop and pulled out some headphones.

Seeing as how Lovino wasn't talking to him anymore, Gilbert decided to see what the other person in the room was painting. This person was wearing a grey shirt to match his pants, had shoulder length, wavy blond hair that had some random hair curl that looped out the front of his forehead, he was also wearing glasses that framed his blue eyes perfectly… Actually his eyes were blue but they also looked purple. It was an interesting colour. He had ear buds in so he couldn't hear Gilbert approaching.

Gilbert smiled a little to himself and looked at what he was painting; a white polar bear. '_This must be the guy that painted that other thing._' He thought.

Suddenly the boy put down his paint brush and sighed. "Look, I don't care if you want to watch me paint, but it's kind of creepy."

"Sorry kid." Said Gilbert. "But it's good."

The boy blushed a little. "Not really… No one gets the emotion I'm trying to convey. It's annoying."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "It's just a painting. Does it really matter if no one gets it?"

"It's not just a painting." Muttered the boy. "It everything. It's the only way I can… never mind. You wouldn't care." He picked up the paint brush and started to mix some colours on his pallet.

Gilbert shrugged and pulled up a chair. "You never know… So what's your name? Mine's Gilbert."

"Names…" Muttered the boy. "Another word for labels. I hate labels. Does someone's name really matter? What do names even mean? They are just letters mixed together and thrown up in a puddle and deciphered by idiots. Names mean nothing… but if you must call me something you can either call me freak, monster, abomination or Matthew… Or you could come up with some other cleaver word. I've long since stopped caring what people call me."

Gilbert frowned. This guy had a really negative outlook on life. Not that he could be blamed for it though, many Tentacula had been on the sharp end of insults and ridicule. It was weird of society always seemed to need a scapegoat to blame and punish for no reason; race, gender, sexuality and religion were always hot topics when it came to discrimination.

"I'll just call you Matthew, or Mattie, or Matt. I'm not big on the discriminate for no reason thing."

"Oh…" Matthew looked at Gilbert. "Why are you here? You're not a Tentacula, a doctor or a volunteer… You also aren't dressed like some government type, so you aren't doing another pointless inquiry."

"I'm a writer." Said Gilbert. "Just gathering some information then I'm leaving."

Matthew sighed sadly. "Will your book make people hate us even more than they already do?"

"No." Said Gilbert. "I write biographies."

Matthew nodded and went back to his painting. "I've read some of your books. I like them. They are very detailed. I like how you critically assess the places they live in too. It's a nice change to normal biographies. You're a good writer."

Gilbert grinned. Matthew was stroking his ego in all the right ways. "I'm not a good writer, I'm an awesome writer!"

Matthew smiled a little. "That you are… I wish I could write something like you… But it's not like that'll happen anytime soon. I'm stuck here forever…" He looked up at the clock and sighed. "Well, it was nice meeting you Gilbert, but I have to go get my medication now." He wiped his hands on his shirt streaking white onto it. "See you later, maybe?"

Gilbert nodded. "Sure, see you around Matthew." Matthew smiled and quickly moved out of the room. He seemed like a good kid. A little depressed, but a good kid none the less.

"Don't you even think about it bastard." Hissed Lovino.

"I thought you were listening to some crap on YouTube?" Retorted Gilbert.

Lovino flipped Gilbert the bird. "It's fucking loading you retard. But just stay the fuck away from Matthew. He doesn't need you fucking around with him because you're bored."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I was just killing time… but he seems like an okay kid. Why's he here?"

Lovino looked at Gilbert like he was an idiot. "What the fuck bastard? Do you seriously not know how Tentacula become Tentacula?"

"XV3?"

Lovino face palmed. "Idiot… It's a trigger. A traumatic event triggers the fight or flight response. The rush of adrenaline, fear and feeling that you're going to die makes XV3 attack DNA. Why do you think that most Tentacula come from broken homes where they're abused? Stupid bastard. Usually the attacker gets killed because the first thought is to defend themselves. Pretty much all Tentacula are killers."

Gilbert frowned. "If that's true how did you and Feliciano turn?"

"Car crash."

"Oh… Sorry…"

Lovino rolled his eyes. "Don't be. It happened years ago. Point is we lived through it… Don't you have somewhere else to be, bastard?"

Gilbert shrugged. "Fine… I guess I'll go find my bro, see if he can take me to the Shredder-"

"ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?" Yelled Lovino. He did not look amused. "STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM! HE'S JUST HAD HIS MEDICATION! DO YOU WANT TO DIE?"

Gilbert stood there stunned. He was used to Lovino yelling at him to go and die. Not yelling at him because he might die. After a few moments of awkward tension Gilbert laughed. "Aw, Lovino, I had no idea you cared about my safety so much."

Lovino rolled his eyes and went back to typing stuff onto his laptop. "Whatever bastard. If you want to go and die go ahead. I just don't want my fratello running up to me and crying because you got yourself killed for no fucking good reason. But it's good riddance if you ask me. Fucking German bastard."

"I resent that." Snapped Gilbert. "And it's Prussian. I'm Prussian. Ludwig is German."

"Prussia's not a fucking country anymore dipshit." Hissed Lovino.

Gilbert chose to ignore Lovino and decided to walk back to Roderich's office. After he got lost three times he finally found his way back. With a smirk on his face he casually barged in. "The awesome me is back!" He proclaimed.

Roderich rolled his eyes. "We have eyes you know."

"Don't mind him Roddy." Said Elizabeth as she looked over a file. "He has the intelligence of a gnat and an ego as large as his head."

Gilbert rolled his eyes and pulled the file out of Elizabeth's hands. "Whatever… What's this?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Simply a file on the killer you wish to write a biography for."

Gilbert grinned and opened the file. His eyes went wide with shock. "No way…"

"He doesn't look like a killer does he?" Asked Roderich. "But don't let his baby face fool you. Behind that shy face beat the heart of one of the most vicious killers of the twenty first century."

Gilbert gulped as he looked at the profile picture attacked to the documents; long wavy blond hair, a random hair curl, blue eyes that looked purple and glasses. Shredder was Matthew.

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Who didn't see that coming? Please review!


	3. Interview 1

**Shinigami-cat: **So yeah… I OWN NOTHING!

**Interview 1**

Matthew sighed as he was dragged back to his room. After the sudden and blissful rush that he got from his medication he was as mobile as a rag doll. Today was no exception. He let his head roll back and looked up at the roof. The lights were always blinding, but they just looked fuzzy when he didn't have his glasses on. After what seemed like hours, but was in reality seconds he was put back in his room and placed on his bed.

He could just hear the sound of a thick German accent that belonged to his doctor, Ludwig Beilschmidt. "In about half an hour my brother will come by and conduct his first interview with you. He'll be informed that you won't make much sense because you've been recently medicated. Try to speak in short sentences until you can move properly."

"My glasses…" Croaked Matthew. "Where are they?"

"I've put them on the floor next to you." Said Ludwig calmly. "Try to rest."

Matthew nodded slowly. "Okay… I already met your brother… His eyes really are as red as blood… Not threatening. Just saying."

Ludwig frowned. "Where did you meet him?"

"Art room." Whispered Matthew quietly. "I'm sleepy…"

"Then I'll leave you to rest." Said Ludwig. The metallic screech and thud of the door being shut meant Ludwig was gone.

Matthew sighed and put his glasses back on. Thinking about his encounter with Gilbert Beilschmidt, famous biographer. '_He's more energetic than I thought… A bit of a narcissists too. Lovino didn't seem too fond of him either, but Lovino doesn't really like anyone that much… I guess I should wait and see how this plays out… He might be useful to me after all._' He chuckled a little to himself. '_Yes. He might be very useful._'

The sound of the door being forced open made him jump, but as soon as he saw who it was he relaxed. "You scared me there for a second Feliks."

Feliks was a gut about the same age as him, had straight, shoulder length blond hair, green eyes and talked like a teenage girl. "Like seriously?" He waked over to Matthew and sat on his legs. "So like where were you? I like totally missed you at breakfast."

"I was painting." Said Matthew calmly.

"Another polar bear?" Asked Feliks. "You like need to paint something different."

"Like what?" Asked Matthew. "Could you get off my legs? I'm starting to lose feeling in them."

Feliks pouted, but jumped onto the floor. "Anyway… You could paint like… birds or something."

"I don't like birds." Said Matthew. "I like polar bears."

Feliks rolled his eyes. "We like totally know. Everyone knows. Why do you paint them anyway? They are like so boring. You like need to paint something else."

Matthew frowned at Feliks. "I happen to like polar bears… and I'm not going to stop painting them until I get them right."

Feliks rolled his eyes. "You've already got them right. Realism, expressionism, fauvism, Dadaism, fauvism, surrealism, pop art, modernism and all that jazz. You're great at it all."

Matthew sat up and glared at Feliks. "Are you serious? You think those paintings are good? They are shit! No one can tell what they are! They just look at them and say how pretty it is! I hate people like that! They should all just die!" Suddenly Matthew's head started to pound painfully. "Shit… got too angry…"

Feliks smiled sympathetically at his friend. "Like chill out a little. It's like totally fine to lose your cool every now and then, despite what those white coats say."

Matthew groaned a little and rubbed his forehead. "I know… I know… It's just… It just pisses me off…"

Feliks sighed sadly. "If you like, keep this up they'll make you take electroshock therapy again."

Matthew laughed. "Electroshock therapy? I felt nothing more than a tingle. A damn tingle! I had pins and needles for days afterwards. It was weird. But apparently it was too damaging to my nervous system. Remember they have to do double doses of everything on us… still have a little trouble feeling anything on my left side."

Feliks rolled his eyes and smirked. "You're a stupid bitch. Anyway have you heard that the author guy is coming by?"

"Yeah, he's going to be talking to me." Said Matthew.

Feliks grinned. "Shut up! Are you like serious? I'm so jealous! I wish I had someone writing a book about me… But it's not like anyone really cares that much about a kid that got sold into the sex industry by their homophobic dad. Ungrateful asshole."

Matthew smiled sadly. Feliks didn't deserve what happened to him. He was just lucky that he was still a virgin. Tentcaula were quite popular for those who had a tentacle fetish. It was horrible, but it couldn't be helped. There were three kinds of Tentacula; the free, the abused and the killers. The free were Tentacula who volunteered to help with research and were generally accepted by society. The abused were people like Feliks that were Tentacula that never killed anyone but were often physically or sexually abused. That just left the killers. No prize for guessing why they were there.

"Men are dicks." Said Matthew quietly. "Make that fathers. Fathers are dicks."

Feliks nodded in agreement. "Yeah… Well you got more reason to hate your dad then me. I mean… What he did… That was just brutal."

Matthew sighed sadly. "I know… But there's nothing I can do about it."

"Yeah…" Said Felix. Suddenly his eyes lit up. "Are you going to tell that writer that?"

Matthew shrugged and rested his chin against his knees. "I guess so… I mean he is my biographer." He chuckled a little. "He'll probably chicken out halfway through and bugger off."

Feliks grinned. "Yeah. He'll probably be all like 'this is fucked up' and leave." He looked down at his watch and pouted. "Boo! I have to get medicated. See you later Matthew, you crazy bitch, you."

Matthew chuckled as Feliks left the room. He was a good friend. One of the first he made since he came to Nightingale. At first he just seemed annoying and chatty, but in all honesty he was a good guy. Just said the wrong thing at the wrong time. That's how it starts for most of them. Something's said or something's done and it all falls apart.

After a few minutes Ludwig came back followed by Gilbert. Ludwig sighed a little, clearly agitated. "Matthew, you said you were tired."

Matthew hated the tone of voice Ludwig used. It felt like he was being lectured. "I was. But now I'm not. Feliks came by. Wondering why I skipped breakfast."

"Again?" Asked Ludwig. He frowned and crossed his arms. "You know if you keep skipping meals your privileges will get taken away. I know you don't want that."

Matthew nodded, not able to meet his gaze. "Yes sir. Sorry sir."

Ludwig sighed and looked at Gilbert. "He's all yours. Yell if things get out of hand." Once again the door grinded shut. When they were alone he heard the sound of a zipper being undone and quickly looked up, breathing a small sigh of relief when he realized that Gilbert was just opening his bag. He pulled out a tape recorder and closed his bag.

"Before you ask I use this because taking notes sucks." Said Gilbert. As he looked over his equipment he sighed a little. "You seem like a good kid. A little shy and depressed, but a good kid… So imagine my surprise when I hear that you're Shredder… and imagine my surprise again when I'm told that we don't even need to be monitored by cameras for these interviews."

Matthew shrugged. "The medication, among other things dulls the receptors that make us use our tentacles or something. I'm pretty pathetic without them… Before the interview starts can I ask you a question?"

Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "Sure. What do you want to know?"

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked sadly. "Now that you know I'm Shredder do you think I'm a monster? Do you hate me? Do you fear me? Do I disgust you? Do you wish I was dead?"

"Not really." Said Gilbert honestly. "Just because you killed some people doesn't make you a monster. Enjoying the kill and enjoying the torture of you victims makes you a monster."

"You have an odd view on life." Said Matthew quietly.

Gilbert grinned and sat next to Matthew. "I'm an odd person… and quite honestly, I think I've talked to criminals way more dangerous than you. Shall we start this interview?"

Matthew nodded. "Okay… What do you want to know?"

Gilbert thought for a second before turning on the tape recorder. "Shredder killings, first interview… I just want to know some basic information to start with. So I can make you seem more like a human than a one dimensional killer."

Matthew smiled a little. "How sweet. You almost sound like you care."

"… I'll ignore that… First question; what's your full name?"

"Matthew Williams… No middle name."

Gilbert nodded. "Interesting… So how about you parents? Any family?"

Matthew frowned and looked away. "I grew up in an orphanage. I have no family."

"Well that answers my next question." Muttered Gilbert. "When did you first become a Tentacula? You don't have to go into details. Just age will do for now."

"Seven."

"Teen?"

"No." Said Matthew. "Seven. You know the number after six but before eight."

"That's really young." Said Gilbert. "How did the orphanage manage dealing with a Tentacula?"

"They didn't." Said Matthew sadly. "When I turned I ran away. Living on the streets until Nightingale picked me up."

"Did you ever know your parents or find out about them later on?" Asked Gilbert.

"Later." Said Matthew. "When I was about fifteen I found my mum and… my gean donor."

"Do you have father issues?"

"What are you, my therapist?" Growled Matthew.

Gilbert shrugged. "If it'll help me gather information about you, then I will." He looked over at Matthew and smiled a little. "Okay, so I'll save all that family stuff for another time. What's your favourite colour?"

"Blue. But why does that matter?" Asked Matthew.

Gilbert chuckled. "Just answer the questions. What's your favourite food?"

"Pancakes with maple syrup."

"Favourite animal?"

"Polar bear."

"Are you an American citizen?"

Matthew shook his head. "No. I'm Canadian. But there were some government deals and as long as I'm living in Nightingale I can stay in America."

Gilbert nodded. "Yeah… The government is pretty messed up."

Matthew chuckled. "You don't even know the half of it… The government is corrupt to the core. I don't believe in them. All high and mighty scared of the smallest shadow, the smallest spot of dust. Unmentionable like me they sweep under the rug. Society need not worry about a creature like me… Sometimes I just want to die."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "You want to die?"

Matthew nodded. "Yes. I've tried to kill myself before… But my tentacles make it impossible. I've tried to cut my wrists and my throat. I've tried to stab myself to death, jump off buildings and bridges… but every time I try… These tentacles they cushion me when I fall and snap any blade that I try to use. The white coats here say it's because deep down no one wants to die and the tentacles react to primal human emotion. I think it's cute how they still consider us human one way, but we are demons as soon as someone gets hurt because of us. They don't care if we were trying to save ourselves. All they care about is that we can kill them easily. Well you know what? They deserve to die!"

"Relax." Said Gilbert calmly. "Breath. No need to talk that fast without taking a breath."

Matthew chuckled darkly, he could feel a tightness building up in his chest. "Monsters… That's what they call us. Monsters and freaks, abominations that should just die! And you know what? They need to look in a damn mirror! We are not the monsters! The bastards that did this to us are the real monsters! They are the ones that need to die! Not us!"

Gilbert frowned. "Who are 'They'? Do you mean the people that made XV3, the mothers that decided to use the drug or the people that cause Tentacula to turn?"

"The people that made that drug and the mothers that used it had no idea what it would do." Growled Matthew. "More tests needed to be done, but the demand was so high… The monsters are the freaks that abuse and harm others for no damn reason. The abominations that think it's fun to spit on others that are different to them. Just because they happen to dress differently, act differently or are just different in general."

"So you blame bullies for Tentacula?" Asked Gilbert.

"Blame them?" Asked Matthew. "I guess you could say that… I blame anyone that hurts someone else for fun for the reason why there are so many Tentacula. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't exist… But I guess that means I should thank them too. In my case if I didn't turn I probably would have killed myself years ago. I was bullied a lot."

"I see." Said Gilbert. "Can you tell me a bit about your kills? Why did you kill them? Was it in self-defence?"

Matthew bit his lip nervously. "Which one do you want to know about? The Shredder killings or the ones leading up to it?"

"You've killed more people?" Asked Gilbert in disbelief. "How many? When did you start?"

Matthew frowned. He hated talking about his kills. The more he talked about them, the more he could see it playing out in front of his eyes. "I can't tell you how many I've killed because even I'm not sure… But I'll always remember my first kill…" He could feel tears building up in his eyes and his body starting to tremble slightly. "I-I didn't mean too… it was an accident…" He could still see the bloody scene being played out in front of his eyes. A nightmare that he couldn't escape from. "But at the time I was so scared and angry and… I-I-I can't do this anymore! I can't live with the guilt!"

He slammed the back of his head against the brick wall he was leaning against. Matthew continued this action until Gilbert pulled him away, in all he only hit his head three times. "What the hell?" Snapped Gilbert. "Calm the fuck down!"

Matthew glared at Gilbert, kicking him off his bed. "GO AWAY! JUST LET ME DIE! A MONSTER LIKE ME DOESN'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIVE!" He started to hit his head against the wall again. "JUST DIE! JUST DIE ALREADY!" He could feel blood starting to run down the side of his face, but he didn't care.

Suddenly he was pulled off his bed and pinned to the floor by several white coats. One of them had a needle. "We'll need to put him under surveillance again." Said one.

"A bad reaction to his medication." Said another. "Shouldn't have lowered the does."

"GET OFF ME!" Screamed Matthew as he thrashed around, trying desperately to escape. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!" He felt the needle getting pushed into his skin, immediately feeling drowsy. "No… not that… I don't… I don't want to… to sleep…"

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Gilbert just stood there next to the door, unsure of what just happened. The interview was going so well, but then he started to bash his head against a wall. '_What the fuck?_'

"Are you okay Gilbert?" Asked Ludwig. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Gilbert shook his head. "We were just talking and then he snapped and tried to kill himself."

"I see…" Muttered Ludwig. "I guess that means that we should stop testing for that new drug then."

Gilbert looked at Ludwig in disbelief. "You're testing drugs on him?"

"Long term inmates are asked if they will agree to do drug testing when they are eighteen." Ludwig said simply. "Matthew is one of the few people that would allow us to perform such tests on him. Sometimes they have some rather bad psychological effects. Nothing permanent though."

Gilbert didn't like the way his brother was talking. He made it sound like it happened all the time. It wasn't right. It just seemed cruel, like slow torture. It made him sick to his stomach. The feeling wasn't helped at all when he saw Matthew being carried out; eyes rolled back and glazed over, blood streaking down his face and his skin was a sickly shade of white.

"It's disgusting." Hissed Gilbert. "How could you just give someone something that could kill them?"

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "It wouldn't kill him. Nothing we give them is strong enough to kill them. Some of them have attempted to kill themselves by swallowing handfuls of arsenic and rat poison, but it either has no effect or it just makes them feel a little ill."

Gilbert shook his head and picked up his tape recorder. "It still isn't right. They are human too… Shredder killings, first interview end." He stopped recording and put it into his backpack. "If these interviews are going to take place he can't be on those kinds of medication. If he keeps breaking down like that I'll never finish."

Ludwig shrugged. "I don't decide what medication he gets. I simply talk to him and see what his psychiatrist says and make suggestions. My superiors make the ultimate decision about which drugs he gets."

"Like what happened in here?" Asked Feliks who happened to walk into the room. "Did like, Matthew freak out again? You like seriously need to stop giving him experimental drugs and stuff!"

"This guy gets it!" Snapped Gilbert. "Why don't you listen to him? Nice meeting you by the way, I'm Gilbert."

Feliks grinned. "You like that hot shot writer guy aren't you? Sweet, my name's like totally Feliks. I'm Matthew's BFF in here. Us inmates like totally have to stick together when the white coats are around." He said gesturing towards Ludwig.

Ludwig rubbed his temples, a little more than irritated that his brother and an inmate were telling him how to do his job. "That's enough from both of you." He turned to Feliks and frowned. "Feliks, Matthew's going to be put under observation until the drug is out of his system and he's going to get treated for minor head wounds. Please just go and do something else."

Feliks huffed and turned around on his heels. "You're like a constant downer." Gilbert chuckled. Feliks wasn't wrong about that.

"What are you laughing at?" Snapped Ludwig. "Just get out of here and let me do my job. I knew these interviews were a bad idea. I don't know why you're even allowed to do them."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "It's because I'm awesome!" Ludwig just shook his head and walked out of the room leaving Gilbert alone.

Gilbert frowned and looked over at the wall where Matthew had bashed his head in. There was a distinct dent in the wall along with a splatter of blood. '_This isn't right. I don't care what they say, it's wrong._'

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Man… I really need to finish of my other stories… Please review!


	4. Background

**Shinigami-cat: **Hey everyone! I feel bad for Matthew already… I OWN NOTHING!

**Background**

_**Name: **_Matthew Williams AKA Shredder  
_**Age: **_19  
_**Gender: **_Male  
_**Eye colour: **_Blue  
_**Family: **_NA  
_**Birthplace:**_ NA  
_**Country of origin: **_Canada  
_**Found: **_Was found with a bloody corps in a warehouse in Arizona hours after his previous murders. Attempts to revive the corps were unsuccessful. Matthew was seventeen at the time.  
_**Psychological profile: **_Upon a simple psychological test one could argue that this man is simply a shy individual who is extremely nervous and indecisive, someone who needs looking after, who always wants someone else to make the decisions and someone who doesn't want to get involved in anything. He seems like someone who worries about problems that do not exist. But more in depth tests shows that there is more to his personality that initially thought.

Not much is known about his childhood, but from his behaviour it's simple to tell that he lived in isolation. This is not uncommon among Tentacula children as they are often shunned by society so they have to rely on their own minds for company. It's possible that during early childhood he developed feelings of inadequacy. These feeling possibly ran deeper than the normal neurotic feelings of not being good enough.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

"Poor kid." Muttered Gilbert as he read over a copy of Matthew's file. Seeing as how Matthew had to but put into an induced coma to stop him from harming himself and other people, Roderich had given him a copy of Matthew's profile to look over on the condition it wouldn't leave his apartment.

At the moment Gilbert was happily drinking coffee in a small café a few blocks away from his apartment. There was no way he was going to follow Roderich's rules. He just didn't feel relaxed enough to read over someone's personal file unless he was sitting in his favourite café drinking his coffee.

He sighed and put the file down. '_Damn… I really shouldn't feel sorry for him. I mean. He's a killer, just like all the other people I talk to. Some of them have had way worse childhoods than him. I really shouldn't feel too sympathetic towards him…_'

"Hey Gil, want another coffee?" Asked a rather cheerful American.

"Sure thing Alfred." Said Gilbert. "Get me a cookie too while you're at it."

Alfred was a twenty year old who worked at the café. He was loud and obnoxious but he was relatively good natured. He was tall, blond and wore glasses over his blue eyes. He grinned. "Sure thing." He quickly turned and walked back behind the counter to get Gilbert his food and drink.

While Alfred was doing that, Gilbert went back to looking over the file. Matthew seemed to have a rather interesting life, and the fact that there was almost no information about his early childhood excited him greatly. Who knew what secrets he could uncover? It was probably one of the most interesting projects he had worked on in years.

'_Damn I really want to know what happened at that orphanage._' He thought. '_Let's see… he's nineteen and said he ran away from the orphanage when he was seven… So let's see I should look up any stories in Canada that that concern orphanages about ten years ago... Where's my coffee?_'

Almost as if on cue Alfred arrived back with Gilbert's coffee and his cookie. "You working on anything new?" He asked Gilbert.

Gilbert took a quick sip of his coffee. "Just a little something on the Shredder killings."

Alfred paled and chuckled nervously. "Shredder huh? Interesting topic… Why did you choose that?"

"No real reason." Said Gilbert. "Just needed to write another book. Shredder actually seems like a really interesting guy. You wouldn't think it was him if you just saw him walking down the street… You probably wouldn't even notice him."

"I bet…" Said Alfred nervously. "Have you talked to him yet?"

"Yeah." Said Gilbert. He put a little sugar in his coffee and stirred. "But I didn't really get too far with him… Apparently he agreed to some human drug testing and he tried to kill himself."

Alfred almost dropped his notepad. "What? Dude I thought human drug testing was illegal! Don't they just test drugs on animals? Like rabbits, dog and monkeys? That kind of thing"

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "They don't test thinks like that anymore Alfred. The closest thing they are allowed to come to testing on animals is white mice… and even then there's controversy from the animal activists. But human testing does happen."

Alfred pouted. "Yeah well… I still think that human testing is wrong… Is he okay though? You said he tried kill himself."

"It's a side effect to the medication apparently." Muttered Gilbert darkly. "I seriously want to kick those bastards right in the ass for all their medical bullshit."

Alfred nodded in agreement. "Yeah… Well I'd better get back to work. Leave me a big tip okay? I've come up short for this month's rent."

Gilbert chuckled. Alfred was always running low on cash even though he carefully managed his money. "Sure thing Alfred, sure thing."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Soon Gilbert was back in his apartment, sitting on his sofa, with his laptop in his lap. In many aspects he was extremely lazy, but never when it came to research. He could and often would spend days locked up in his apartment living off two minute noodles and tap water until he had gathered all relevant information and several bits of information that seemed almost irrelevant but could possibly link back to what he was looking for.

At the moment he was on a Canadian newspaper site. He looked back at any stories concerning orphanages dating back ten years ago. Three articles appeared; one had closed down, one was celebrating its twenty year anniversary and one was about a murder.

Gilbert quickly read over the article about the murder and jotted down any points on a word document;

_-Four boys between the ages of 6-8 were murdered  
__-One boy was missing  
__-All victims were chopped up into little pieces, making identifying them almost impossible  
__-Traces of animal blood were found mixed in with the human blood  
__-The orphanage was shut down two months after the investigation  
__-The orphanage was located near the border between Alberta and British Columbia_

He sighed a little to himself. There was so little information on this orphanage, but there was no telling if that was even the right one. It could have been, but it might not have been. It was quite odd to him.

Gilbert ran his fingers through his hair and closed his eyes. Closing his eyes he could clearly remember the first interview. He could see the scared an insecure look in Matthew's eyes as he answered the questions. It was like he was scared that he would say the wrong thing. It was utterly adorable.

But that look of anger that flashed in his eyes when Gilbert had mentioned his parents had thrown him off. But the absolute sorrow in his eyes and look of hopelessness in his eyes when he started talking about his first kill just about broke his heart. Matthew wasn't a serial killer. He just seemed like a scared little boy. Most killers would have been proud or apathetic about their first kill. Matthew was truly remorseful, in Gilbert's eyes he was anyway.

Yet he always had to remember that everyone knew he was dangerous. Everyone knew it. People on the street knew it, Matthew's doctors knew it, and even Matthew himself knew it. He had called himself a monster, even if it was partially because of his medication.

Speaking of medication, he hoped that Matthew was off the experimental drugs for the time being. He didn't want to keep cutting sessions short because he decided that he should bash his head in again, or bite off his tongue. He was pretty sure that Nightingale didn't need a Tentacula dying in their care… even if he was a convicted killer.

'_Maybe he isn't really a murderer? I mean if it was all in self-defence the worst he could be convicted of is manslaughter…_' He shook his head and frowned. Just because someone looked innocent didn't mean that they were. He had come across killers that looked like they couldn't hurt a fly, yet they had a body or two hidden under their bed, or in some cases the bodies were hidden in several places around their room.

But that wasn't important. What was important at the moment was finding out as much as he could on Matthew from everything that he'd told him so far. If he really was seven when he first killed than he would definitely find out something about him on the internet, because it seemed that Nightingale had nothing before his later kill when he was seventeen. A ten year gap was a long, long time.

The sound of someone knocking at his door made him look up. "Door's open. Come on in."

A few seconds later Antonio and Francis walked in. Francis was tall with long wavy blond hair. "Where were you?" Asked Francis, he sounded slightly hurt.

"We were going to go out to lunch together." Whined Antonio.

Gilbert frowned. "Oh yeah… Sorry about that. Work and stuff… You have any idea how difficult it is to find stuff on orphanages in Alberta?"

"Is this still about Shredder?" Asked Antonio as he sat next to Gilbert and looked over his shoulder.

"Yep." Said Gilbert. "Apparently he grew up in an orphanage and did his first kill when he was seven."

"Ah yes…" Muttered Francis. "Shredder… Does seem like a rather risky subject, even for you." Gilbert looked over at Francis and pouted. Normally Francis would have just chuckled at Gilbert's choice of subject matter and brushed it off. Was it because his particular subject matter was a Tentacula?

Gilbert growled and slammed his laptop shut. "What is everyone's deal with me and doing a story on Matthew? Sure he's a Tentacula, but he can't use his tentacles and he's not a violent guy! If you want my opinion he just wants to be left alone."

"It isn't so much what he is per say…" Said Francis. "It's more like what he's done." He sat down on the other side of Gilbert and sighed. "I mean you've talked to some of the worst criminals in the world, but most of them need a knife or some rope to kill someone… A Tentacula just needs to be able to use its tentacles and you're dead."

"Lovino and Feliciano are Tentacula." Reminded Gilbert. "The worst they can do is slap you and put too much oregano in pasta sauce."

"True…" Said Francis. "But I still think you should be careful, who knows what he might be planning behind those eyes."

Gilbert chuckled. "I think I'll be safe. He might be a killer, but in all honesty he's a bit of a pushover. If I needed to I think I could fight him off no problem."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Feliks laughed as Matthew tripped over and landed flat on his face. "You seriously look like you're totally drunk. Are you sure you should be walking around?"

Matthew sighed and readjusted his glasses. "I'm fine… just a little dizzy. You know what happens after I wake up from an episode."

Feliks rolled his eyes and helped Matthew to his feet. "Yeah, you totally act like a drunk and stager around until a white coat drags you back to your room."

"Am I that predictable?" Asked Matthew with a slight smile. He slowly wobbled on his feet for a few moments before gaining his balance. "How long was I out though? Few weeks? A month maybe?"

"Like a day." Said Feliks.

Matthew chuckled. "I guess I'm starting to metabolize that stuff faster now… They might have to start using elephant tranquilizers on me."

Feliks grinned. "That would be totally awesome." He grabbed Matthew's arm and pulled him down the hall towards his room. When they got there Feliks pushed Matthew onto his bed and closed the door. "Now you like totally have to tell me all about Gilbert! He's like way cute!"

"You met him?" Asked Matthew curiously.

"You bet." Said Feliks. He sat next to Matthew and grinned. "Those red eyes are to die for! And that silver hair? Way awesome! And he's hot! So not cool that you have him all to yourself!"

Matthew chuckled a little at Feliks's rant. "Don't worry Feliks, I'm not that interested in him. I'll admit he is hot, but he's just not my type."

Feliks rolled his eyes. "Do you even have a type? Have you ever had a girlfriend or a boyfriend? You seriously need to explore your sexuality a little."

Matthew blushed and pouted. "So what if I've never been in a relationship or had sex. You haven't either."

Feliks gasped. "Like OMG! I totally forgot to tell you! I lost my V card last week! I kind of lost track when you got put on drug and you went all smile happy and crazy."

"WHAT?" Cried Matthew in shock. There was no way Feliks could have lost his virginity in here unless it was rape. He wasn't exactly the most popular with the other male in mates and they hardly ever interacted with the female ones, and all the doctors were definitely off limits.

Feliks nodded happily. "You like know how most of us in rehab are part of some totally weird community service program? Well there's this guy that stacks shelves with me at this supermarket and we totally hooked up in the store room! His name's Toris and he's totally sweet."

Matthew face palmed. "You hooked up with a random guy you work with? Does he even know about your… problem?"

"He like totally knows I'm a Tentacula." Said Feliks happily. "And he doesn't care! He thinks it's totally awesome, and we've been like seeing each other for ages, so he's not a total random." He smiled a little and played with the hem of his shirt. "When I'm allowed to leave I want to move in with him…"

Matthew smiled and patted his friend on the back. "Keep holding onto that… At least you can leave here eventually… I'm not even allowed to do community service."

Feliks pouted. "Like that was so uncool of me. I wanted to talk about Gilbert! Not Toris! You like so have to hook up with him!"

Matthew's eyes went wide. "What? Me and him? We hardly know each other!"

"Correction, you know nothing about him." Said Feliks with a smirk. "By now he probably knows everything that Nightingale has on you… And if you don't actually like him, make it entertaining for yourself! I know you're like a totally good actor. You can make him dance if you try. A sweet word here and there and he'll be hooked!"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Right… How do I know he even likes me? We only just met remember?"

"It has nothing to do with that!" Said Feliks. "You have a sweet face and he's interested in you. If he wasn't he would be like writing a story about someone else. Have some fun with it. Make him do a little dance for his story. It's not like Nightingale isn't doing the same thing."

Matthew frowned. He didn't really feel like playing that much with Gilbert. Although it would be fun to be able to manipulate someone that had no idea about his acting ability. He had almost escaped several times because of it, but was always stopped at the last second and put in isolation as punishment. Perhaps it would be fun to play with him, even if it's just for a little bit.

Matthew smirked, a hint of something dark dancing in his eyes. "I guess you're right Feliks… I wouldn't be messing with him anymore than the people at Nightingale are. This is going to be fun. But I'm not going to take it too far."

Feliks laughed. "Seriously? Take it was far as you want! You're a just a sweet talking little devil."

Matthew grinned. "Guilty as charged." He suddenly fell forwards off the bed and face planted again. "Ouch…"

Feliks grinned and rolled Matthew onto his back with his foot. "Is your like balance still shit?"

"I'll tell you when the room's stopped spinning…" Muttered Matthew miserably.

Feliks chuckled. "You are one crazy bitch."

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **What's Matthew going to do? Damn that sneaky little devil! Please review!


	5. Orphanage

**Shinigami-cat: **Okay so in a few days it's going to be holidays for me! Hooray! Anyway, Carlos is Cuba and I hope you all like this chapter… I OWN NOTHING!

**Orphanage**

Matthew came to live at Springwood orphanage from a very young age. In fact he was a new born, still covered in dried blood from when his mother had given birth, was delivered to that place; wrapped up in a blue blanket and placed in a cardboard box. The only thing that came with him besides the blanket was a silver bracelet covered in little golden maple leaves.

The caretakers of Springwood took him in and immediately took a liking to him. Since he was just left at the orphanage, they were forced to give him a name and so they gave him the name Matthew Williams because they were common names. As a baby he was quiet, hardly made a fuss over anything. In fact he was so quiet he was almost left for three days before someone noticed him. When they did notice him again, he was severely dehydrated but he pulled through.

As he got older he became more detached from the rest of the children, preferring to sit in the corner and read books rather than interact with the rest of the children. The books he read were ones much to advance for his age group. By the time he was seven he had finished off all the children's books, young teen books and had decided to start reading through text books. This of course had made him the target of bullying.

"Nerd!" Laughed a boy as he slapped the book Matthew was reading right out of his hands.

"Loser!"

"Weirdo!"

Matthew sighed sadly and picked up his book again. Even at seven he had learnt that the best way to deal with these three was to ignore them. They would eventually leave him alone or a caretaker would make them move along.

One of the boys started poking him. "What are you reading freak?"

"He can't talk remember?"

'_I can talk._' Thought Matthew bitterly. '_I just don't talk to idiots. Just leave me alone and let me finish reading about Ancient Egypt._'

One of the boys snatched the book out of Matthew's hands and smirked. "Keep away!" He laughed as he tossed it to one of his friends. Matthew frowned and tried to catch the book as it flew through the air, but missed. This continued for a while. One time Matthew almost touched it, but he was tripped over before he could grab it. He hit the ground hard, grazing the palms of his hands and cutting his face a little.

He sniffle a little as he rubbed the tears away from his eyes. The boys just laughed at him. "What a wimp! Crying like a little baby!"

"What is going on here?" Asked a very busty woman with short platinum blond, almost grey hair. The boys quickly scattered leaving the woman and Matthew alone. She sighed and helped Matthew to his feet. "What did those mean boys do to you?" She asked.

"Nothing Miss Kat." Whispered Matthew. Miss Kat's real name was Katyusha Braginski, but none of the children could pronounce her name so they called her Miss Kat. She was a sweet woman with a strong motherly instinct that just made all the children feel safe around her. She had a soft spot for Matthew though, because it was her that found him at the doorstep of the orphanage and even named him.

Katyusha frowned and brushed some dust off Matthew's shirt. "Nothing? They didn't trip you did they? Knock you over?"

Matthew shook his head, his eyes not meeting hers. "No Miss Kat… Can I please go back to reading?"

"After I make sure you're alright." She said as she picked him up. She carried him to sick bay, to administer first aid to Matthew's hands and face. When she was done she gave Matthew a sticker. "You get into a lot of trouble Matthew."

"I'm sorry Miss Kat." Muttered Matthew. He didn't mean to get in trouble with the other boys. He just didn't know how to interact with them. They were into things like Pokémon and robots and toy cars. Matthew was more interested in world history and geography and cute animals. At least he could talk to some of the girls about animals, but that never really happened.

Katyusha patted Matthew on the back and smiled a little. "Do you have any friends yet?"

Matthew shook his head, unable to meet her gaze. "No Miss Kat… I can't talk to them about anything. They talk about weird and boring things… When a girl looked at what I was reading she made a face and said I was gross for reading something gross."

"What were you reading?" She asked, now slightly concerned.

Matthew nervously played with the hem of his shirt. "Mummification… I was reading how the Ancient Egyptians pulled the brain out through the nose with a hook… Is it weird that I like that sort of stuff?"

"Of course not." Said Katyusha happily. "Most girls would find that stuff gross at their age. Some of them will grow out of that phase eventually and even find it cool. I know lots of the boys would think that's very cool."

"But the other boys hate me." Said Matthew sadly. "I'm never going to make any friends am I?"

Katyusha frowned. She hated it when Matthew was upset. It just broke her heart. "Don't be silly. You'll make friends. I know you will."

Matthew shook his head. "No I'm not. I've been alive for seven years and I can't even talk to people my own age. I hate it."

Katyusha sighed sadly. "Matthew… You should stop thinking so negatively. You need to be positive. Have you even tried to get interesting in the things that the other boys like?"

"Robots are stupid." Muttered Matthew. "Pokémon is weird. I don't like toy cars. They hurt a lot when you get hit with one." He could clearly remember when he was attacked while reading a book on poetry under a tree. One hot wheels car had left a painful welt on his thigh.

"It's the same three boys isn't it?" Asked Katyusha. She crossed her arms, making her chest bounce. "I guess I'll have to have a talk with them about their behaviour…"

Matthew's eyes went wide with fear. "Please don't." He whimpered. "If you do that they'll think I told on them and they'll bully me even worse than before!"

"But if I don't do anything they'll keep hurting you." Said Katyusha, her voice full of concern. "If they keep this up you'll get hurt badly one day and you might have to go to the hospital. I can't have that happen to you."

Matthew sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Miss Kat… I know you care about me and everything… But I'm not your son. My mama and papa didn't want me. I don't think you should worry about me so much. I should just look after myself because no one will do it for me."

Katyusha just looked at Matthew, pure shock written all over her face. "I sometimes forget I'm talking to a seven year old…" She muttered to herself. "Look Matthew I do care about you and you are probably going to get adopted very soon. Lots of families love little kids and would be more than happy to take you in. You'll get adopted into a loving family in no time."

Matthew shrugged and looked down at his feet. "No family wants to adopt a kid that sits all alone and reads encyclopaedias for fun."

Katyusha sighed sadly. Nothing was going to make Matthew feel better. "Matthew… Any family would be lucky to have you in it. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I truly do."

"Can I please go now?" Asked Matthew. "I want to keep reading."

"… Okay." She said. She patted Matthew on the head as he walked out. "Please tell me if you're getting bullied again Matthew."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

At the back of the orphanage was a forest. It was a rule that no one was allowed to go back there for any reason. Matthew understood this rule, but it didn't stop him from going there to take long walks when everything just became too stressful.

On one such walk he came across a cave. Interested he decided to explore it to see what he could find. What he found both amazed and saddened him. In the back of the cave was a small polar bear cub, probably abandoned by its mother.

He crouched down near the cub and smiled a little. "Hey there." He cooed softly. "Are you okay? Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."

The cub let out a small whining noise and backed away. Matthew frowned a little. The cub was probably scared or lost. Actually, probably very lost. Polar bears didn't usually come down so far south. He dug into his pockets to see if he could entice the bear to come closer. All he had in his pockets was some lint and a cookie. He didn't really want to feed a bear a cookie, but it was the only thing he had on him.

He smiled and held the cookie out to the bear. "Are you hungry? Do you want a cookie? It's some weird whole grain thing. I don't really like them that much, but Miss Kat says they are better than most cookies."

The bear took a few steps forwards and sniffed the cookie. He took it out of Matthew's hand and started to gnaw on it. Matthew giggled a little and patted the small bear. '_Poor little guy… Did his mama and papa leave him behind too?_'

The bear nudged Matthew's hand with its nose and made a happy sound. This made Matthew smile. "Want to be friends? I'll call you… Kumajiro. Do you like that name?" The bear didn't seem to object. "Okay then. Kumajiro it is. You can call me Matthew."

From then on Matthew would sneak out of the orphanage everyday with food to see Kumajiro. The bear would always wait for him in the cave and be happy to see him return. Sometimes Matthew would bring a book and read it out loud to Kuma. Animals could judge him or question the reading material. He could even pretend that Kuma was having a conversation with him, asking questions, giving opinions and having the in depth discussions that Matthew craved to have with another kid his age.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

"Weirdo!"

"Freak!"

"Loser!"

Matthew sniffled a little as he rolled onto his side, watching the three boys run away laughing. Lately they had become more physically violent, pushing him around and knocking him the ground for fun. He hated it, but he knew there was nothing he could do to stop them.

A boy crouched down next to Matthew. "You okay?" Matthew looked up at the boy, he looked around his age, maybe a little older, he had dread locks that were tied back into a pony tail and he was wearing a green shirt and grey shorts. "Wait… You're the kid that can't talk right?"

Matthew shook his head. "I can talk… I just choose not to. I'm Matthew."

"I know." Said the other boy. "I'm Carlos… You don't really talk to that many people do you? Why?"

Matthew shrugged and sat up. "No one likes the stuff I'm interested in so there's no point in talking to them… Besides I like reading."

Carlos tilted his head to the side curiously. "Like what?"

Matthew looked away. "You wouldn't find it interesting. You'll just think I'm boring and forget about me."

Carlos frowned and picked up the book that got knocked out of Matthew's hand when the other boys had knocked him over. "World War Two… What's that? Some kind of story?"

Matthew shook his head. "No, it's a book about the things that happened in World War Two. It talks about the Nazi's and Hitler and the Axis powers and the Allies and how almost everyone fought together and against each other… It's interesting."

Carlos frowned and opened the book. He pointed to a picture of a swastika and frowned. "What's this?"

"That's the Nazi symbol." Said Matthew. "Originally I think it was a Hindu sign of peace and balance or something. But it was turned slightly now most people in the Western world associate it with Nazi's."

Carlos nodded. "The Nazi's were the bad guys right?"

"Yeah." Said Matthew. A small smile tugging at his lips. For the first time in his life he was talking to someone his age about something that interested him. Carlos was his first real friend.

After a few weeks Matthew and Carlos had become inseparable. They laughed together, played together and shared secrets with each other. Carlos had told Matthew about his secret stash of lollies that he had hidden under a loose floor board under his bed and Matthew told him about Kumajiro.

"He's so cute." Said Carlos as he patted Kuma's head. "His fur is so soft!"

Matthew grinned and fed Kuma a cookie. "I know right? Kuma is my best friend, after you that is."

Carlos grinned and scratched behind Kuma's ear. "It's amazing that no one's found him yet."

"That's because he knows not to follow strangers." Said Matthew. "But he can be persuaded with a few cookies."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Matthew smiled a little to himself as he read over a book on polar bears. If he wanted Kuma to grow up to be big and strong he needed to make sure it was fed properly. He was sitting in a quiet room in the orphanage. No one ever came in there, so it was peaceful even with the thunderous rain outside.

"Hey freak." Snapped one of his tormentors. Matthew rolled his eyes and kept on reading. "You think you're so smart don't you? Well you're not."

The sound of a soft polar bear roar made Matthew gasp and look up. The two boys were carrying Kumajiro into the room. Matthew quickly dropped his book and ran over to them, but he was quickly caught and held back. "Let him go!" Cried Matthew. "Let Kuma go now!"

"So the freak can talk." Laughed a boy. "Never seen him so worked up before. He must really care about this cub."

"He's right." Said another boy, in a taunting voice. "You don't laugh, you don't cry, you're really creepy!"

One of the boys smirked and walked up close to Matthew. "Go on, cry. Cry and beg or we'll make the cub do it for you." Matthew growled and kicked him in the stomach. The boy groaned and glared at Matthew. "That was dumb. Kick the cub, teach him a lesson!"

"NO!" Screamed Matthew as one of the boys drop kicked Kuma into the wall. Kuma cried out in pain as he bounced off the wall and hit the floor.

One of the boy's smirked. "This is way better than anything we could think of doing to him." He walked up the Kuma and kicked him in the face. Another whimpering cry escaped the cub's mouth. The boy picked up the book Matthew was reading and smirked sadistically. "Hold that bear down. This is going to be fun!"

He crouched down next to the cub as his friend held him down and started to beat him. Cries, whimpers and squeals of pain echoed around the room. The book becoming bloodier with each strike.

Matthew started to tremble. His eyes wide with fear. '_Why?_' He thought. '_Why is this happening? How could this have happened? How could they be so cruel? What did Kuma ever do to them? This isn't happening!_'

Suddenly the door opened and Carlos walked in, closing the door behind him. "Hey Matthew… WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He cried in shock. "STOP IT!"

The boy that was beating Kuma to death raised an eyebrow at Carlos. "What's wrong? You're the one who told us about the stupid bear cub."

Matthew gasped in shock and looked at Carlos in disbelief. Carlos gulped. "I didn't know you were going to do this! I'm sorry Matthew! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to tell them!"

"Oh man!" Cried one of the boys. "The dumb bear stopped moving."

One of the boys laughed. "Oh well."

Matthew couldn't believe it. He had trusted Carlos. He had trusted him with his secret, but he told the people that bullied him. Because of him Kuma was dead. Suddenly a switch flicked in his mind. '_Since people are unhappy, they will seek out those who are less fortunate than they are._'

"Is the freak going to cry?" Laughed a boy.

Matthew growled and clenched his fists. Something in his mind had finally snapped. "Freak? You know who is a freak? You know who isn't human? PEOPLE LIKE YOU!"

It was like an explosion as ten grey tentacles ripped out of his back, ripping apart the boy that was holding him, spraying his blood all over the walls, ceiling and floor. The tentacles quickly whipped around the room and turned every living thing in the room into shredded meat. They didn't even have time to scream.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

"What did you do with Kuma's body?" Asked Gilbert. He had pretty much been in a state of shock ever since Matthew had started to talk about how Kuma was brutally murdered in front of his eyes.

Matthew bit his bottom lip and fiddled with the hem of his shirt. "I-I buried him near the cave I found him… It was a lot of work, but the ground was softened by the rain."

"Do you ever wonder why they hated you so much?" Asked Gilbert. "Do you feel sorry for killing them and Carlos?"

Matthew thought for a moment. "I honestly don't know why they hated me so much… As for killing them, I only feel sorry for killing Carlos. The other three were horrible human beings. They probably would have grown up to be killers anyway."

Gilbert nodded and picked up his tape recorder. "Shredder killings second interview end." He put it back into his backpack. "I'll be back in a while okay?"

Matthew nodded and sighed a little. "Hey Gilbert? Do you think what I did was wrong? Do you think I should have killed them or let them live?"

Gilbert shrugged and stood up. "You were just a kid. You watched them kill your closest friend. You were betrayed by someone you trusted. You couldn't control yourself."

"But do you think I should have let them live?" He asked again. "Should I have let those boys live after what they did to Kumajiro?"

"It's not my place to say." Said Gilbert.

Matthew frowned and pulled his knees up close to his chest. "Okay… I see… I'll see you soon. Have a good day."

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **I really need to stop watching Elfen lied when I'm writing this stuff… Anyway if you didn't understand what just happened, Matthew just told Gilbert about how he became a Tentacula. Please review!


	6. Chocolates

**Shinigami-cat: **I really hated killing off Kuma like that! It was so horrible! I can't believe I did that! But alas… as Ned Kelly once said 'Such is life'. Anyway… I OWN NOTHING!

**Chocolates**

"This interview is jacked up!" Cried Elizabeth. She had just listened to a copy of the recording Gilbert had made with Matthew about when he first turned. Obviously she was not amused in the slightest. "I can't believe those boys and Carlos! How could that have happened to such a sweet little bear? If that's not a trigger for turning I don't know what is!"

Gilbert nodded in agreement and took a sip of beer. "I know… The trigger always gets me. It's always something so horrible… And I thought I heard everything; molestation as a minor, alcoholic, drug addiction, watching parents get murdered, rape… but not once have I heard of someone snapping because they watched a bunch of children kill their pet in front of them."

Elizabeth shivered. "That's just… Just sick. I don't think anyone could convict him of murder when he was that young… Damn it!" She cried. "I just want to hug him and tell him everything is alright!"

Gilbert chuckled. He had felt similar, but when you've been in the business as long as he had you quickly learn that empathy towards killers was a dangerous thing. They could try and use it to their advantage, try to acquire some illegal goods to sell or smoke for the fun of it. It was a terrible thing, that trust he had to set up between himself and a killer. It was a necessary evil he had to do to make sure he could get his story.

Elizabeth sighed and leaned back in her chair. "So… What do you think of Matthew? Good personality? Bad personality?"

"He seems like a good kid." Said Gilbert. "He's really innocent and just keeps questioning himself, continuously asking if what he did was right. If you ask me he just wants someone to recognise and accept that he's not a monster… Maybe if someone does that he can forgive himself." He sighed and drank some more beer. "But I'm no expert on the subject so I can't give a real opinion."

"Ludwig came to the same conclusion." Said Elizabeth, a small smile tugged at her lips. "I read over the full psychological analysis. The one in the file that Roderich gave you was just a general outline."

"I assumed as much." Muttered Gilbert bitterly. "I really don't want to do any research on Nightingale. Roderich will give me nothing good… Hey Liz would-"

"I mind looking into anything and everything to do with Nightingale so you don't have to do it?" She asked. "Done and done."

Gilbert grinned. "Awesome."

Elizabeth drank some of her hot chocolate and frowned a little. "You should be careful around Matthew though… There' have been… incidences."

"Life threatening ones?" Asked Gilbert curiously.

Elizabeth nodded. "He has a terribly manipulative streak. According to several reports he has learnt to read facial expressions carefully, making it easy for him to determine what to say to someone in any situation."

"Most victims of abuse both sexual and physical are better at reading facial expressions." Said Gilbert calmly. "It's one of the only ways they feel like they can survive. The smallest expression can make them decide to do certain actions that will lead to their pain being lessened."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "So text book. But you need to be careful."

Gilbert chuckled, leaning back in his chair slightly. "I'll be fine. Lots of criminals have tried to manipulate me before. How many of them succeeded? None. What makes you think that Matthew will be any different?"

"What makes you think you're bullet proof?" Asked Elizabeth. She sighed and put her cup on the coffee table. "Listen Gil, you've been in this business for a long, long time. You've seen and heard things that would give most normal people nightmares for the rest of their lives."

Gilbert smirked a bit. "What might you be implying?"

"Nothing." Snapped Elizabeth. She crossed her arms and frowned. "I'm just saying you aren't unbreakable. You're only human. Eventually something might break and you won't be able to fix it."

"I'll be fine." Said Gilbert sternly. "You were the one that wanted me to do this in the first place!" He was starting to get a little pissed off at the way everyone was taking this. Almost everyone was either horrified and wanted him to stop or just told him he was an idiot for even doing something so stupid.

Elizabeth rubbed he temples in frustration. "I know. I know… I just don't want you to do something stupid! He's way to manipulative!"

"What the hell did he do then?" Snapped Gilbert. He could not see how Matthew could manipulate anyone. He was even having a hard time believing that he was a killer. He just looked way too innocent to do anything like that, despite what he had been told and heard from Matthew himself. It was still hard to swallow.

Elizabeth nervously chewed her bottom lip. "It was when they first brought Matthew in. They were still trying to decide how much medication they would need to give him to subdue him and he broke free. Several doctors were slaughtered… Then later on he had several change overs when it came to personal doctors because they had a nasty habit of suicide, going insane and attempting to get Matthew out of there."

Gilbert didn't like the sound of that at all. He had met several killers who had done something similar things to people to get what they wanted. It was pretty much brainwashing. "I'll be careful then." He muttered. "I won't let him get inside my head. I'm too awesome for him to manipulate me."

Elizabeth nodded, picking up her cup again. "On a slightly different topic, how is Francis going? Is he planning to head back to his home town again?"

Gilbert shrugged. "I guess… It's sort of his thing to just go off back to British Columbia once a year you know?"

"Ever ask why?" Asked Elizabeth.

"Not once." Said Gilbert truthfully. "All I know is that he goes to visit his parents every year at the same time. You could set your watch to it he never forgets. He's scarily precise."

"That's freaky." Muttered Elizabeth. "As your friend and boss I say you should ask him what's wrong."

"Later!" Whined Gilbert. Suddenly an idea formed in his head. "Actually… If I go with him to Canada I might be able to track down Miss Kat… Get her perspective on things. It'll be awesome! The more references the better!"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Well aren't you a good friend. Going with him to Canada for the soul purpose of finding out what's wrong with him. What a good friend you are. I applaud you and your selflessness."

"You want me to finish this book or not?" Snapped Gilbert. "So shut up!" That woman was going to be the death of him.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Matthew sighed a little to himself as he gently tugged the wires that were attached to his head. Monitoring brain waves sucked. He was told to act normal, but the wires were constantly in his eyes and annoyed him to no end. '_I wish they would just let me be…_' He thought bitterly. '_I want to go home… Who am I kidding? This is the only real home I've ever really known. It's the only home I will ever know… How sad is that?_'

He frowned and rolled onto his side. Yes this place was his home, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, now and forever. His home. No matter where he lived he had been rejected. His new home had everything; doctors, constant tests being conducted 24/7, cameras monitoring everything he did as soon as he stepped out of the room, therapists that asked stupid questions, strait jackets used when the more experimental drugs were used and people randomly asking him questions about his life.

At least here he didn't feel as rejected or ostracized as he would in the supposedly real world. He chuckled at that thought. The real world, the normal world. It was all just a matter of perception. The world out there just didn't seem real to him or normal. A life or running, blood and regret was not a real life at all.

Suddenly the door opened and in skipped Feliks, carrying a box of chocolates. "Like hey there wire face! Chocolate?"

Matthew smiled and slowly sat up. "Illegal contraband? How did you get this past security?"

"Toris." Said Feliks happily as he opened the box. "He was like a total sweetie and brought some over for me. I already ate all the strawberry ones and he had a couple of the hazelnut ones. Have a few."

Matthew randomly picked a few from the box. He bit into one a grinned. "Caramel."

Feliks chuckled and ate another chocolate. "So… What's with the wires? Seeing if you have the brain capacity to power a light bulb?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if they were." Muttered Matthew. He tossed another chocolate into his mouth and bit down. "Dark chocolate. Away the white coats want to see how my brain wave patterns are now because of X, Y and Z."

Feliks shrugged and bit into a Turkish delight. "I like so prefer the real ones, not the chocolate covered stuff… Anyway, like how goes it with Gilbert? Make a move yet?"

Matthew shrugged and ate a chocolate covered mint. "I haven't really done much. I threw him a bone and told him about when I first turned. Then I tossed some touchy feely crap… Half of it was shit, the other half was the truth." In all honesty he was telling the truth, but he did feel like sugar coat everything a little too much. He was just glad he didn't pull out the big guns by accident. That would have been disastrous for everyone.

"Aw, you really should learn to use what you got already." Said Feliks with a pout.

Matthew chuckled. "Okay then Feliks, tell me what I can do to entice this man?"

Feliks grinned and quickly jumped up. "Like so glad you asked." He grabbed Matthew's arms and pulled him to his feet. "Now let's see… You have a totally cute and innocent face, even if you killed like a billion people."

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Less than a hundred."

"Whatever, not important." Said Feliks. He tilted his head to the side and walked around Matthew. "Your hair is pretty nice, it frames your face really nicely… I think it's with the way you dress. It's so… uniform and plain. You don't stand out at all."

Matthew frowned and looked over Feliks. They were wearing the same grey shirt and sweat pants. "Um… no offence, but you are wearing the same thing."

Feliks rolled his eyes. "Well yeah, but my shirt is a size too small. Your one is a little baggy. Same with your pants. Way too big for you. You need something a little tighter… Something that hugs your butt a little and shows off your toned chest. Something that just screams _fuck me._"

Matthew blushed. "What? I don't want to have sex with him! How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"Until I believe you." Cooed Feliks. He quickly pulled off his shirt and handed it to Matthew. "Like put this on. I so like have to see how this looks on you! And don't you give me any bullshit about the wires. I know they are hooked up to some sensor pad on your back."

Matthew sighed, he knew that it was pointless to argue with Feliks when he was in one of his moods. He took off his shirt and put on Feliks's one. The shirt was way too tight; it was practically painted to his body, stretched over his chest, hugged his arms to the point where it was almost painful and it was a little too small for him for him showing off a bit of stomach.

"This is stupid." Muttered Matthew.

"I'll say." Said Feliks. "I mean look at you! You look like an idiot with those wires!"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Not my fault! The white coats decided to do this to me! I'm just lucky they haven't decided that I should go on death row! They would stick the damn sensors right into my brain!"

Feliks chuckled and shoved a chocolate into Matthew's mouth to shut him up. "Okay, new plan! I know the chick that cleans the uniforms and she totally owes me a favour. I'll get you a shirt that's… a size smaller than your current one and I'll get you some pants… two sizes smaller than these ones you have. Seriously, you're not a fat ass that needs them. You're a damn stick! A stick with a bit of muscle, but a stick none the less!"

Matthew rolled his eyes and took off the shirt, handing it back to Feliks. "Thanks… I think… But I don't really want to make him want to have sex with me."

Feliks laughed and pulled his own shirt back on. "Lust is totally one of the biggest sins and greatest weapons. Tap into Gilbert's lust and you'll have him wrapped around your little finger in like no time. Make that puppet dance for you!"

Matthew chuckled and pulled his own shirt back on. "Fine, fine, fine. I'll use my sensual powers of subtle manipulation and seduction to get him to bend to my will. Who knows? He might be able to help me escape this prison."

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **… I got nothing, please review!


	7. Mind Games

**Shinigami-cat: **I wonder if how Matthew's attempt to manipulate Gilbert will go? Anyway… I OWN NOTHING!

**Mind Games**

"And kick." Called Feliks. Matthew quickly spun around in a circle and kicked the punching bag hard. Today was the day that they were allowed to go use the gym equipment at their leisure. Any other time they would have to make arrangements before hand and that was way too complicated. Feliks preferred to walk on the treadmill while Matthew would busy himself with the punching bag. "Lower block."

Matthew quickly delivered a lower block to the punching bag, stopping it dead in its tracks. "Come on Feliks…" He panted. "We've been here for two hours already… I want to have a shower… My shirt is soaked with sweat… I won't be able to move my arms properly for the next three days… and you haven't even broken a sweat!"

Feliks rolled his eyes. "Firstly, you can take a shower later. Secondly, you can change your clothes when you get back to your room. Thirdly, not my problem. Fourthly, I've walked several miles on this thing thank you very much. And BTW because of that back chat you're so like going to punch that bag for another hour. And punch!"

Matthew rolled his eyes and punched the bag. He had no idea why Feliks was being so tough on him today. Even if Tentacula did have higher stamina than a normal human they still had their limits. Matthew was reaching his. "Do you want me to die of dehydration or something?"

Feliks quickly unscrewed the lid off his water bottle and threw it at Matthew, completely drenching him. "Are you like still dehydrated?"

"I really hate you sometimes." Muttered Matthew. He shook his head, getting water everywhere and sighed. "Well I've had enough public humiliation for one day. I should probably go and get changed before Gilbert shows up."

Feliks smirked. "Everything's ready and waiting for you. Go and bag yourself a man."

Matthew shook his head and started to walk back to his room. He had no idea why Feliks was so hell bent on getting him laid and by his biographer no less. It didn't make much sense to him. All Matthew wanted to do was to get out of Nightingale and get back to what he was doing before he was put into that place.

He was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when he walked into Ludwig. "Sorry sir." Muttered Matthew. It wasn't out of fear that Matthew called Ludwig sir. He did that with every white coat in the place. It was out of hatred. He didn't trust himself with calling them by their names in case it sounded spiteful.

"It's fine." Said Ludwig. "… What happened to you? Why are you soaked?"

"Feliks and I were in the gym. I said I was dehydrated and Feliks poured his water on me." Muttered Matthew dryly. "I was just going to go back to my room to have a shower and dry off."

Ludwig nodded and quickly pulled a small torch out of his pocket. "Well while you're here do you mind if I do a quick eye test?"

"Since when have I had a say in anything that you people do to me?" Hissed Matthew darkly. "You people have taken away every last one of my rights and freedoms. If it wasn't for human rights, which I only just manage to scrap into because I was born human, you people would have dissected me long ago."

Ludwig frowned and took off Matthew's glasses, shining the torch into Matthew's eyes. "You know that's not true. We had to bring you in because if we didn't… who knows what you would be doing now?"

"I would be in Mexico." Said Matthew simply. "Or maybe I would have hopped on a boat and gone to live somewhere in Europe or Asia. I want to put this continent as far behind me as possible."

"And why might that be?" Asked Ludwig.

Matthew smirked and snatched his glasses back. "Like I would ever tell a white coat."

Ludwig sighed. He was used to getting that answer from the blond. "Hurry back your room and have a shower or get dry or something. Gilbert will be here soon."

Matthew nodded and quickly walked back to his room. He was careful not to bump into anyone else along the way. When he got back to the safety of his room he closed the door and leaned against it. The feel of the cold metal was intensified by his soaked clothes. He shivered a little, but he didn't mind.

After a few minutes he walked away from the wall and over to his bed. On it were the clothes Feliks had promised would be there for him. He quickly pulled off his wet shirt, pants and boxer, letting them hit the floor. He grabbed the set of dry pants and walked into the small bathroom.

He put the toilet lid down and placed his pants on top. He then walked over to shower and turned on the water. He stepped into the spray and sighed contently. As the warm water washed over him he had a little time to think over how he was going to manipulate Gilbert. Surprisingly it took a fair bit of brain power.

'_He's probably used to criminals trying to make him bring them items to escape and trying to make him believe that he didn't do it._' He thought. '_Let's see… I can figure this out by playing off the seven deadly sins; envy, gluttony, pride, wrath, sloth, greed and lust. I have nothing he is jealous of he doesn't seem like a glutton or someone who can be easily provoked into a fight. Neither does he seem lazy or extremely greedy, but he does have a lot of pride and of course there's lust._'

He had seen firsthand what most of those sins could do to a person, but not many could drive a person as crazy as lust, envy and wrath. Those sins were some of the easiest to manipulate along with pride. To evoke envy in someone all you need is someone or soothing that the other person wants. Wrath was simple to play with too, just a few harsh words and sometimes a kick and punch. Pride was something one had to stroke with words.

Lust was slightly more complicated. For staters one needed to look desirable, alluring to the subject matter. One needed to act in certain ways that showed innocence, even when doing something inappropriate. Finally one needed to be the perfect actor. Any fool can pretend to be innocent in a tainted world, but it took a true professional to pull it off for hours, even months at a time. He liked to think he was one of those actors.

He sighed a little. '_I guess I could just give the lust thing a go. See if he takes the bait. If all else fails I'll fall back on sympathy. Sympathy always works._'

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Gilbert muttered curses to himself as he walked down the hallway to Matthew's room. He was tired of the security guards that gave him dirty looks every time they looked through his things. He was tired of the doctors giving him judgemental looks when he walked past. He was just tired of it all. No one seemed to want him there at all. It wasn't his fault that Elizabeth or the people running Nightingale had decided that he could write about Matthew.

He opened the door to Matthew's room. "Hey Matthew I'm ba-"

Standing in the middle of the room was Matthew; he was wearing a tighter pair of sweat pants that hugged him in all the right places, he was shirtless and had and grey towel around his neck. He smiled a little and tucked some of his damp hair behind his ear. "Hey Gilbert." He said. "Um, I just had a shower and I was just coming out to grab my shirt… I think the people doing laundry gave me the wrong clothes. They're a little tighter than usual."

He walked over to the bed and picked up his shirt, he only just managed to squeeze into it. If the pants hugged Matthew in all the right places that shirt was just sinful the way it stuck to Matthew's chest.

Gilbert shook his head and closed the door. '_Okay then… This is different… But I can work with this._'

Matthew sat on his bed and gestured for Gilbert to sit next to him. Which he did. "What's on the agenda today?" Asked Matthew. "I'm afraid I won't be able to recall much about my past today."

"Why not?" Asked Gilbert in frustration. He wanted to learn more about Matthew.

Matthew sighed sadly, not meeting Gilbert's gaze. "The medication they give me… it sometimes screws with my mind. I have my good days and my bad days. Today is one of my bed days."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow. So his medication not only causes him to have psychotic breaks, but they gave him amnesia? This was too much. "Is there any other side effects of your medication?"

Matthew shrugged. "Well let's see; my body has trouble regulating temperature sometimes so I can feel normal but my skin can feel like it's on fire or as cold as ice, I black out sometimes, I'm a little bi-polar too and… that's about it."

Gilbert shook his head. "Does anyone else have those kinds of reactions?"

Matthew shook his head sadly. "I'm the only one who reacts like that. I've heard some of the doctors say it's because I have higher than normal levels of XV3 in my blood system."

"What are you talking about?" Asked Gilbert curiously.

Matthew nervously bit his bottom lip in a cute and innocent sort of way. It made Gilbert's face heat up a little, but not enough to make him blush. "You know how XV3 was made as an abortion drug and pain killer for pregnant women?"

"Of course." Said Gilbert. "Who doesn't know that?"

"Well…" Muttered Matthew. "When someone becomes a Tentacula a small amount of XV3 is present in the blood. Less than two precent. This is because it's illegal to use over three grams of XV3 for abortions and one gram for pain relief… Every time a woman either had an abortion or used XV3 when giving birth the level of XV3 would rise by point one third precent for any child they would give birth to… My blood is fifty precent XV3."

Gilbert looked at Matthew in shock. '_What the fuck? Why would his mother have had that many injections? Did she not want to have children or something? Bet that bitch just gave him up when she couldn't get her hands on anymore XV3._'

"The doctors think that's why I'm having a different reaction." Said Matthew sadly. His eyes were starting to fill with tears. "That's also the reason I'll never get out of here… I'm different… I don't even have the same tentacle count at the others!"

Gilbert wasn't exactly sure what to do. He didn't deal well with crying people. "Um… It's okay. Calm down. Now what's all this about a tentacle count?"

Matthew sniffled a little and wiped the tears from his eyes. "All Tentacula only produce ten tentacles right? I can make more. Thousands more. Different lengths and widths. I've made ones as thin as a strand of hair once… And they won't let me leave here ever because of it! I'll end up dying in here!"

"You're not going to die in here." Said Gilbert. He wouldn't let that happen to him. But that raised a big question. Why? Why did he suddenly care so much for him? Perhaps it was out of sympathy. The poor kid had been through a lot.

"Yes I will." Said Matthew miserably. "I can't deny it. Only a fool would deny it." He looked up at Gilbert with his large bluish purple eyes, sparkling with his tears. "You shouldn't kid yourself. You don't know what it's like to be me. To have all these horrible nightmares constantly swirling around in your head, that only you have the pleasure to call you happier memories. I just want to die."

Gilbert frowned a little. He wasn't sure how Matthew had gone from relatively pleasant to depressed so quickly. This was probably the bi-polar thing Matthew was talking about. He didn't want Matthew to be upset. He seemed to have lost all hope and just let himself be consumed by the darkness all around him. It was a horrible thing to lose one's self in the darkness of everything.

"Don't let the darkness of the world consume you." Said Gilbert simply.

Matthew sighed sadly, his shoulder's slumping in defeat. "The world keeps pushing us, but when one of us pushes back the world turns and points and screams monster. I've never killed anyone because I wanted to. I've only killed people that have threatened my life. How is it any different to someone stabbing someone when they have a gun pressed against their forehead?"

"Your only documented attack was said to be unprovoked." Said Gilbert calmly. "At least that's what witnesses say."

Matthew chuckled darkly and shook his head. "Unprovoked my ass… The media was censored. I didn't even have a court hearing you know? I was just lead into a room, put in a chain before a judge, a police officer and a member of Nightingale. They did all the talking, I just sat there and nodded or shook my head."

This was interesting. According to the news the court hearing wasn't televised because at the time Matthew was a minor. If Matthew didn't have a court hearing then that was a breach in the justice system. "What did they talk about?"

"The judge asked me if I knew what I was doing." Said Matthew. "The police officer gave all necessary evidence to convict me, not that I didn't say I was guilty, and the man from Nightingale told me about where I would live from now on. He said that if I didn't agree to move here I would be forced to have a lethal injection when I turned eighteen. At the time Nightingale seemed like a better option than the needle."

"Do you regret not going with the needle?" Asked Gilbert curiously.

"Sometimes." Said Matthew honestly. "But if I died then I wouldn't have started to read your books. I started off by reading several psychological analyses on serial killers, but your books were better. I wanted to understand why I killed those people. To see if there was a deeper reason for what I was doing. I came up with nothing, but I still love reading your books."

Gilbert smiled a little. "Yeah, they are pretty good."

"I've read all the ones in the library at least six times." Matthew admitted, a slight blush dusting his face. "But I've read the one about the guy that killed those prostitutes in Florida the most. Isn't it weird how humanity can't get enough of the grotesque, repulsive and hated?"

"It is." Said Gilbert. "But that's a fascinating thing about humanity isn't it? We seek out the strange and unusual. It horrifies us but we love it."

"Is that why you write these biographies?" Asked Matthew curiously. "Do you seek out the horrific for some kind of sick thrill?"

"No!" Snapped Gilbert. "I do this because criminal interest me. I've always wondered why they do what they do. I want to know what makes them monsters."

"… Do you think I'm a monster?" Asked Matthew, he had this expression that just screamed kicked puppy dog. It hurt to see Matthew look at him with those eyes.

Gilbert cleared his throat and looked away. "It's not my place to say."

"But I want to know." Said Matthew. He moved a little closer to Gilbert, his large innocent looking eyes shining brightly. "I want to know what you think. I want to know if you think I'm a monster, a freak, an abomination… Please tell me… Please?" His voice was dripping with honey and sickly sweet.

Gilbert shook his head. "I can't let my own opinions interfere with a project that I'm working on. If I do that then my book will become bias and could be questioned by the greater public."

"But I'm not asking you to make me look like a saint in your book." Said Matthew, his voice slightly airy and breathless. "I want to know what you think about me. I want to know if you think I am a monster or not… Whatever your answer is it will be interesting."

"My opinion doesn't matter." Said Gilbert as calmly as possible, but quite honestly he was having a bit of trouble. In all honestly Matthew was an attractive guy, but to Gilbert he looked a little more feminine than masculine in the looks department. Wait, was Matthew moving closer to him or was he just imagining it?

Matthew smiled sweetly and put his hand on Gilbert's thigh. "I think your opinion matters." He purred softly, making Gilbert shiver.

Gilbert gulped slowly. '_I think he's trying to seduce me._' When Matthew's hand slowly started to move his hand closer and closer to Gilbert's vital regions his suspicions were confirmed. '_Yep. Defiantly trying to seduce me._'

"So tell me what you think about me." Purred Matthew again, this time there was a seductive tone in his voice.

Gilbert took a moment to calm himself slightly and collect his thoughts. "I think you are trying to seduce me… and I'm telling you now I'm not going to get you out of here so you may as well stop."

Matthew frowned and withdrew his hand. "Fine. But I still want to know what you think about me. I want to know if you think I'm a monster or not."

Gilbert shrugged and stood up. "You know what Matthew? I think you're a bit of a whore for pulling a stunt like that. Have you done that to some of the doctors here? Batted your eyelashes and get down on your knees ready to suck someone off?"

Matthew glared at Gilbert. "How dare you… I have you know I'm still a virgin and I've never given anyone head before." He grabbed the blanket he was sitting on and pulled it over himself. "Just get out of here. I can't believe I was actually going to do that."

Gilbert shook his head and walked out of the room. "Whatever. I'll see you in a few days."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

When Gilbert was out of the room Matthew grinned. "That went better than expected." His plan was falling into place perfectly.

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Damn it Matthew! What the hell are you planning? Why you no tell us straight away? Please review!


	8. Desires

**Shinigami-cat: **I just wanted to say thanks to all the people who are following this story and the people who are dropping review! I really appreciate all your support… I OWN NOTHING!

**Desires**

Blue eyes haunted his dreams or were they blue? They were odd dreams really. Starting off in one way and ending slightly different. He would be talking to Matthew for a few moments and they would talk. He would never remember what they were talking about but to would always end one of three ways; Gilbert would say something and Matthew would rip him apart with his tentacles, Sometimes Gilbert would just leave and other times they would end up having sex. If dreams were supposed to be the subconscious desires of people than what was Gilbert's desire?

Gilbert shook his head as he woke up in a cold sweat. He was never one to pay too much attention to his dreams but even he was having trouble dealing with his dreams. They were just odd. He didn't understand them. They started to occur the same day Matthew tried to seduce him.

'_What the hell?_' He thought bitterly. He had dreamt that Matthew had killed him again but this time it was after a passionate kiss. He couldn't stress enough how weird it was. He looked over at his clock and frowned. '_Midday… I'm up way too early for a fucking Wednesday._'

Against his better judgement he decided to get up and see what was happening with everyone else. Today was Antonio's day off so he was probably spending time with Lovino. Antonio had developed a crush on the Italian during college and even though Lovino wouldn't admit it, it was obvious to everyone that they were in love with each other.

He tossed on some clothes and grabbed his phone. Without really thinking he just turned it on and called up Francis. "Hey French fry! What's up? Doing anything today?"

"I'm on my lunch break." Said Francis. "If you like we could catch up? How about that little café we go to sometimes?"

"Sweet." Said Gilbert. "I'll meet you there."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

In about ten minutes Gilbert and Francis were sitting together in a café eating a salad in Francis's case and the all-day breakfast in Gilbert's case. "You really should wake up earlier." Said Francis.

Gilbert shrugged as he swallowed a mouthful of bacon. "I don't care. I'll get up when I want to… Sleeping has become less enjoyable lately."

Francis chuckled a little. "Sleeping trouble? Perhaps you should find another partner besides your hand?"

"Shut up." Growled Gilbert as he started to attack his scrambled eggs. "It's not that kind of trouble. It's more along the lines of weird dreams."

"What kinds of dreams?" Asked Francis curiously.

Gilbert shrugged. "Just dreams where I either end up getting killed, having sex or just walking away from the Tentacula I'm writing a biography on." He drank some orange juice. "That's all." Francis just looked at Gilbert with a bemused expression. He didn't seem quite sure how to react to that. Gilbert sighed. "It's probably nothing. I don't really remember my dreams that well."

"Do you have a picture of him?" Asked Francis curiously.

Gilbert quickly tuned on his phone and looked through what he had. After a few moments of searching he found what he was looking for. "Here." He passed phone to Francis. It was Matthew's profile picture.

Francis took the phone and looked over it, frowning slightly as he assessed the image. "He is… quite innocent looking isn't he? Quite pretty too. He reminds me of someone but I just can't place it… Probably nothing though." He gave Gilbert back his phone.

Gilbert quickly pocketed him phone. "He tried to seduce me the other day."

Francis raised an eyebrow. "And? Did you do it?"

Gilbert gave Francis a look of disgust. "Hell no. I might be bisexual, but I'm not having sex with a convicted murder."

"But it's obvious you desire him in some way." Said Francis. He took a sip of water. "Why else would you dream about him in an erotic way?"

"Um… You do realize I dream about him killing me too right?"

Francis shrugged. "Well… you're just a sick puppy."

Gilbert rolled his eyes and started to dig into his pancakes. "No. Just no." He poured some syrup onto his pancakes and sighed. "Anyway… Heading back to British Columbia soon?"

Francis nodded. "Yep…"

"Why do you go there anyway?" Asked Gilbert curiously. "We've been friends for years but you've never said."

Francis frowned a little. "Well… to put it simply it's the anniversary of a family tragedy. I just go to visit her once a year to tell her how things are going. Make sure her grave is well looked after and not vandalized. That sort of thing."

Gilbert frowned a little. He knew a little about Francis's family life; when he was four his mother had passed away. His father remarried when Francis was six to a woman who at the time had a twelve year old daughter. But something horrible had happened and the girl died when she was fifteen. "Oh… Sorry about that."

Francis waved it off. "Don't worry yourself about it. It's not that big of a deal."

"If you say so…" Muttered Gilbert. "Mind if I tag along? Your home town is right near the border between British Columbia and Alberta right? I kind of need to go to an orphanage in Alberta. It's my story you see…"

"Say no more." Said Francis. "It might be fun to have a little moral support for once. I can introduce her to you at last. I'm sure she would have loved to meet you. From what I remember she was very much like you in some ways."

Gilbert smiled a little. "I'm sure she was awesome."

Francis sighed a bit and glanced at his watch. "Oops. I'd better get back to work. Nice seeing you again Gilbert." He put some money on the table to pay for his lunch and walked out of the café.

"Later Francis." Called Gilbert. He quickly drank the rest of his juice.

"You want a refill dude?" Asked Alfred, chuckling slightly.

Gilbert nodded. "Ja."

Alfred quickly walked off and came back with another cup of orange juice. "Still alive I see." He said. "So Shredder hasn't decided to kill you yet?"

Gilbert shrugged. "From what I've seen he isn't really a killer. He's just a confused kid… With one or two issues that should be checked out by a professional."

Alfred chuckled. "I guess… But try not to get killed okay? You're the only one that bothers to give me a proper tip these days. Money is so tight these days… I can even afford to buy meat anymore."

"You're really down on your luck these days huh?" Asked Gilbert.

Alfred smiled a little. "Well considering all the shit I went through as a kid, I think I'm living the best life I possibly can… Just wish Iggy would ease up on the rent. I need to eat too! Three part time jobs just aren't paying it these days."

Gilbert frowned a little. You would never know Alfred had a tough life unless you really got to know him. He was just so happy all the time. He didn't trouble others by sharing his burdens with them. He just seemed so strong and invincible. "So you work part time here, at some fast food place and the night shift at some diner on the weekend right?"

Alfred chuckled and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well yeah, I mean it's not ideal, but eventually I'll find something better right? I just have to keep trying my best and work with the hand I've been given. It's not the worst life in the world."

"Maybe you should look for a different apartment?" Suggested Gilbert. "If you can hardly get by it might be for the best."

"What?" Asked Alfred in shock, like Gilbert had told him that hamburgers had become illegal. "I can't move out! If I do that I'll never see… Never mind."

Gilbert grinned. "Come on Alfred. Who's the lucky boy or girl? Spill the beans."

Alfred pouted a little and looked away. "It's my land lord, okay?" He muttered. "His name is Arthur and I really like him, but he hates me… Mainly because I hardly pay the rent on time, but if I move out I'll never see him again… Look do you want anything else while I'm here?"

Gilbert shook his head. "I'm good. I'll call you over when I'm ready to pay the bill."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

After he had payed he went home and sat down on his couch and started to flip through channels, not really paying attention. He just wanted some background noise. He stopped on some 24 hour world news channel and slumped into his seat.

His mind was wandering back to Matthew. If Gilbert had met him in a bar or a club and the blond had acted like that he probably would have done him. He had sounded really needy and a little desperate. Gilbert was almost cursing himself for pushing him away. But he didn't want to become one of those weird people that fell in love with convicted criminals. That was almost always a bad thing.

He frowned and tilted his head back so he was looking up at the ceiling. '_Matthew, Matthew, Matthew… What am I going to do with a succubus like you?_' He chuckled a little at that thought. If Matthew wasn't a criminal he might have grown up to be a rather successful prostitute or porn star. He did have that cute face and innocent eyes. He could almost imagine the blond blushing and moaning under someone's touch.

He slapped himself and growled. "Shit… I should not be thinking about him like that. Not only is it unprofessional it just… Damn it!" The image of Matthew moaning with his eyes filled with lust seemed to be burned into the back of his mind. "… Why the fuck does my brain hate me?" He growled. "This is so not happening to the awesome me! It's not like he would try anything like that again anyway, not after I called him a whore."

He closed his eyes and chuckled darkly. If Matthew's plan was to drive him crazy with desire he was doing a pretty damn good job. Not that he would ever admit it. Gilbert was too awesome to admit something like that.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

"Why aren't you limping?" Snapped Feliks angrily.

Matthew raised an eyebrow. All he was doing was trying to find a table he could sit at and eat his hospital grade lunch. "Um… Because I'm not?"

Feliks rolled his eyes and led Matthew over to a quiet table far away from everyone else. When they sat down Feliks crossed his arms, clearly unhappy. "I'll like ask again. Why aren't you limping? Didn't you and Gilbert fuck?"

Matthew rolled his eyes and poked some mashed potato with a fork. "No we didn't. I already told you I don't want to have sex with him. I have bigger plans then just a quick fuck."

"What plans?" Growled Feliks in frustration. "You like, totally threw away a golden opportunity here!"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Feliks, when you've lived the kind of life I've had sex would be the last thing on your mind." He ate some of the potato and cringed. It tasted a little slimy. "Besides you know about my dad. With that you can get a pretty good idea about what I want with Gilbert."

Feliks frowned and ate some bread. "Are you like freaking kidding me? You could have had sex with him and still do that! Are you like, stupid?"

Matthew chuckled. He was used to Feliks ranting about insignificant things like that. "I'm not stupid. I'm just a man with a plan."

"Did you even use the thing?" Snapped Feliks.

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "That? Never really occurred to me that I would ever need to use it… Well considering my blood is half XV3 I don't think it's wise to even try that. I mean I might over load his senses and he could go into shock. I'm not that interested in killing him just yet."

Feliks rolled his eyes. "Whatever. When you kill him make sure you don't like get too much blood on your clothes. Blood is a real bitch to get out of clothes."

Matthew grinned. "You're telling me." He raised his cup of water. "To the delicate art of manipulation, seduction, lust and murder."

Feliks nodded and tapped his cup against Matthew's. "And like may the odds be forever in our like favour."

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **… Murder? Gilbert is so fucking screwed it's not funny… Please review!


	9. Past Life and Drugs

**Shinigami-cat: **Okay, so anyway I was having a look through the reviews and stuff and I noticed everyone was saying I was quoting Hunger Games. This really confused me so I got one of my friends to read through it and they told me the part that was from Hunger Games… It's actually a quote I got from a History text book on Rome… Just thought you would find that interesting… I OWN NOTHING!

**Past Life and Drugs**

Once again Gilbert found himself talking to Matthew, but today they weren't in Matthew's room. Today they were sitting outside in an open area; there were a few trees, some grass, some flowers and a couple of benches and tables. Nothing to extravagant. There were some other inmates walking around and talking and the doctors were standing near the edge watching.

Matthew had climbed up into a tree and refused to some down. With some effort Gilbert had managed to climb up there too. "Next time we do this on ground level." Muttered Gilbert.

Matthew chuckled a little. "Come on Gilbert, it's really peaceful up here. I like feeling the wind in my hair once in a while…" He closed his eyes and sighed contently. "Makes me feel free again."

Gilbert nodded and dug through his bag. "So in this interview I was wondering if you could talk about what you did after you ran away from the orphanage."

Matthew frowned and knitted his eyebrows together as he thought. He just looked adorable. "Not really much to talk about… Well… I guess there is how I found out about my parents. That's quite an interesting one."

Gilbert nodded and started the recording. "Okay, so tell me about your parents. How and when did you find out about them?"

Matthew closed his eyes as he started to reminisce. "Let's see… After I ran away I spent most of the rest of my childhood living on the edge of society. I was scared that I would get blamed for killing those four boys…"

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Living on the edge of society had been a little tough on Matthew. He would get caught out in the rain and the storms and the snow all the time. When he could he would steal washing off the lines from houses. Mainly because his clothes kept getting smaller on him. One of the many pains of growing up.

For food, be basically mimicked the animals around him. But when he became really desperate he would look through trash cans during the night with the racoons. Animals didn't seem to mind him much. For the most part they left him alone. Perhaps they could tell he was a Tentacula?

Through observations he had concluded that it was probably the case. The other animals would immediately get out of his way of he happened to stumble upon them, especially the wolves and bears, but they would always provide shelter and a place to sleep during hibernation. It was a strange bond, but it worked for Matthew.

When he was ten he had started to gain better control of the tentacles that burst from his back if he suddenly became fearful or extremely anxious. With a bit of practice he could make them change shape slightly to make blades, hooks and even a lock pick, which he used on the odd occasion he needed to sneak into a house during the harsh winter.

During his adolescence he started to wonder about his parents. As an orphan he had often wondered who they were and why that had chosen to abandon him instead of keeping him. Three things came to mind; him parents were too poor to keep him, his parents didn't want him, or they were dead. None of them were very good options.

He had finally worked up the courage to go into town when he was thirteen. He was surprised to discover he had wandered over the border and was now in British Columbia. It surprised him, but didn't worry him.

After wandering around a bit he decided to have a look inside a local library. Hopefully they wouldn't think it was too odd for a thirteen year old to look up death records.

Luckily he had developed an ability to become invisible, so to speak, when he needed to. He could blend into crowds and just disappear. He just slipped into the library and casually walked over to a computer closest to the window. He sat down and turned on the computer.

Matthew had never used a computer much. He preferred to read than to look up information on the computer. Also pretty much everything he read stuck in his mind. After a few minutes he had managed to quickly figure how to use it.

He had found a useful news site about birth and death records. He frowned a little. '_I really don't want my mama or papa to be dead… But if they are, at least I can get some closure._'

"Let's see… I think I'll try to find mama first…" Matthew muttered to himself. "Female… Died thirteen years ago… Caucasian… and go."

A total of two hundred and seventeen women had died that year. Matthew frowned a little. He had to narrow his search. He excluded anyone over the age of forty. One hundred and three. Only women from Alberta or British Columbia. Twenty five. Only women over the age of eighteen. There was only one woman who died. But she had died of cancer and already had two children and a husband. Two conclusions came to Matthew's mind. Either his mother was younger or she might still be alive. He hoped she was still alive and not a younger girl who died in child birth.

He changed the age range to only include females between the ages of fifteen and eighteen. There were only three women who died that particular year; one of them was a seventeen year old who died in a car accident, the next was a seventeen year old who died of anorexia and the third was a fifteen year old girl who abducted and raped.

Matthew could have sworn his heart stopped beating. '_Oh man… Please don't tell me that she's…_' He quickly clicked on the hyperlink and was directed to two newspaper articles. One was about the girl when she was abducted and one was about the girl when she was found.

With fearful eyes his eyes skimmed over the first article. This girl was walking home with her younger brother when she was taken. She had told her brother to keep going home because she had left something in her locker at school. She had been missing for a week when the story was printed.

With shaky hands he scrolled down to a picture of the girl; long wavy blond hair pulled into two piggy tails, large lavender eyes and a bright smile on her face. She looked like the spitting image of Matthew, and almost as if to confirm it she was wearing a silver bracelet with golden maple leaves on it like the one Matthew always kept with him because it was the only thing he was left with.

"My god…" He whispered as tears were starting to fill his eyes. "Mama… no wonder I was given up… Who wants to have their rapist's child?" He felt disgusting, sick, dirty. His mother must have hated him. He should have never have been born.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

"So that's how I found out about my parents." Muttered Matthew miserably. "My papa was a paedophile and rapist and my mama was a rape and murder victim."

Gilbert's heart ached for Matthew. That was no way to find out about his parents. No wonder he almost bit off his head before when he mentioned that he might have daddy issues. "Matthew… Did you find out about your papa?"

Matthew nodded sadly. "Yeah… That thing was never caught… But they could conclude he was in some kind of medical profession because he was able to get his hands on lots of XV3 before it was banned… Tell me Gilbert, do you know what happens to a woman who has had XV3?"

"No. What?"

Matthew chuckled darkly. "The XV3 congeals in the uterus making it glow green when a woman is dead. It's a very dull green and you can't see it unless you open up the body. They were able to find my Mama's body because her stomach was glowing green. Like someone had stuffed hundreds of glow sticks under her skin. Not only that but she had hundreds of needle marks on her wrists, arms and legs. There were also restraint marks on her arms and legs to."

Gilbert frowned and looked away. This was all too much. How could Matthew talk about this so casually? "What was the cause of death?"

"She bled to death." Muttered Matthew darkly. "As it turns out after I was born she bled to death. The male bastard decided to run across the border and dump me at the closest orphanage. I guess he assumed that he would draw suspicion to himself if he carried around a child."

Gilbert nodded and stopped recording. "That's all for today. I'm sure you don't want to talk about it anymore."

Matthew smiled a little. "You want to know something ironic? My name's Matthew right? My mother's name was Matilda. Quite similar names aren't they? Sad isn't it?"

Gilbert nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I guess that it pretty sad… But I'm sure that she would have cared for you if she survived."

Matthew shrugged. "I would like to think that too, but who could love the offspring of a rapist? I mean, I was never meant to be born… I was an accident, a mistake."

"You shouldn't say that about yourself." Said Gilbert with a frown.

"Well what would you call me than?" Asked Matthew. He pulled some leaves out of the tree and started to rip them up. "That male should have killed me when I was born. It's pretty obvious that he was continuously giving her the XV3 to make sure she wouldn't have a child. Why let me live?"

"Perhaps the medication stopped working." Suggested Gilbert.

"Possible." Muttered Matthew. He let the ripped up pieces of leaf fall to the ground. "What about your parents? What are they like?"

"Nothing much to say on that subject." Said Gilbert casually. "My Mutter died from breast cancer and my Vater was away for most of my childhood. My bruder and I ended up living with our Opa. We still don't see our Vater that often, but we call up every now and then."

"What's an Opa?" Asked Matthew curiously.

"It means grandfather in German."

"I see." Matthew sighed and rested his head against the tree trunk. "It must be nice to have a family, to know that that you always have someone to rely on, someone you can talk to about anything, someone who will always love you." He just looked so distant and emotionless. He reminded Gilbert of status of soldiers that one might see in a park. It was a sorrowful sight really.

"Matthew…" He almost whispered.

"Matthew." Called Ludwig. He was standing at the base of the tree with an unamused look on his face.

Matthew gulped and looked down. "Yes sir?"

"What time is it?" Growled the blond.

Matthew chuckled nervously. "Um… I'm guessing I missed my daily dose of drugs?"

Ludwig nodded. "Yes you did. You need to get medicated now. Get down from there."

Matthew quickly climbed down from the tree and smiled sweetly at Ludwig. "I'll meet you there okay? I need to go to the bathroom first."

"Fine." Muttered Ludwig. "But make it quick." Matthew nodded and quickly ran off. When he was back inside Ludwig looked up at Gilbert and shook his head. "Aren't you a little old to be climbing trees?"

"Aren't you a little old to still walk around with a stick up your ass?" Barked Gilbert. He jumped out of the tree and dusted himself off. "Why are you so uptight about his medication?"

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "You haven't forgotten you're talking to a convicted criminal that's murdered many people right? The medication stops him from using his tentacles… Roderich has suggested that you watch to get a better understanding about the whole process."

"Okay then…" Said Gilbert. He wasn't sure why he needed to see this, not when medication just consisted of swallowing some pills and maybe getting an injection, right?

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

The room that medication was given out was much larger than Gilbert had expected. It almost looked like a surgery; there was an operating table in the middle of the room, a cabinet full of different medication and hundreds of different machines.

"Damn…" Muttered Gilbert. "What's all this for?"

"Different illnesses." Said Ludwig simply. "We treat many different diseases in here as best we can." A couple of nurses walked into the room and nodded at Ludwig and Gilbert. Ludwig nodded back in acknowledgement. "We're not giving him any experimental drugs today, just the normal stuff… But we'll still need the straight jacket."

While the nurses quickly went to gather what was needed Gilbert gave his brother a questioning look. "Straight jacket?"

"It's just a precaution." Said Ludwig simply. A few minutes later Matthew came walking in, he frowned when he saw Gilbert was there but didn't say anything. "Take off your shirt and give put it on the tray over there." Said Ludwig.

"I've done this every day since I got here." Muttered Matthew as he turned away from them and took off his shirt. "You don't need to repeat yourself constantly. I understand what I have to do."

With Matthew's shirt off Gilbert could see hundreds of puncture shaped scars on his back, there were patches of skin that seemed burnt and rubbed raw. It was horrifying but at the same time it looked amazing. He looked over at his brother for some clarification.

Ludwig sighed as Matthew put on the straight jacket with the help of the nurses. "Bad reactions to some medication. For the first few months the puncture marks left by the needles refused to heal and instead festered and rotted his skin. That's why his skin looks like that."

Gilbert nodded and looked over at Matthew. Now tightly strapped into the straight jacket he was led over to a chair and sat down. When he was seated the nurses proceeded to secure him to the chair with several thick leather straps. Once that was done they brought over several large needles filled with different coloured liquids.

"Wait!" Cried Matthew in shock. "No morphine? Some of those really burn you know!"

Ludwig shook his head. "I'm sorry, but morphine makes your medication weaker. You're not allowed to have anymore."

Matthew whimpered a little and nodded slowly, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. "O-okay whatever's best…" He nervously bit his lip as one of the needles was pushed through the material and into his arm.

Gilbert watched curiously as the liquid was injected. It didn't seem to hurt him any more than a regular needle. The same thing happened for the next three as there were injected into various parts of his body. It was only when the last needle, a large one containing a yellow liquid, was picked up did Gilbert notice a dramatic change in Matthew's behaviour.

The poor boy was shaking like a leaf, whimpering horribly and did his best to shuffle away from the needle. "Can't we just pretend I had this one?" He asked in a slightly panicked voice. "I promise I won't use my tentacles, honestly!"

"We can't afford to take that risk." Ludwig nodded towards the nurse with the needle. The nurse nodded back and quickly pushed the needle into Matthew's jugular and slowly injected the liquid.

What happened next shocked and horrified Gilbert; the blood vessels in Matthew's neck became visible as they were pushed to the surface, tears filled Matthew's eyes as he tried desperately to hold back a scream, only letting out small whimpers of pain. Gilbert wanted to look away from it all, but for some sick reason he just couldn't do it.

'_What the fuck is wrong with me?_' He thought to himself. '_How can I just stand here and watch this?_' After about a minute the nurse pulled out the needle and started to clean up. Matthew's head was hanging down as he twitched and whimpered pitifully.

"He'll be okay." Said Ludwig casually. "The injections are there to stop him from using his tentacles. It's only used on the more… aggressive inmates." He walked over to Matthew and gently tapped him on the shoulder. "Matthew? Can you hear me?"

"Go away." Hissed Matthew darkly. "Either that or kill me."

Ludwig rolled his eyes and turned around to face the nurses. "Untie him in one hour and take him back to his room. The burning should stop by then." The nurses nodded and exited the room.

When they were gone Gilbert grabbed Ludwig's arm and growled. "What the fuck was that? He's clearly in pain you asshole. Why the fuck did you do that?"

Ludwig glared at Gilbert and pushed him away. "It's his medication. He has to take it. Most of his shots are antibiotic and doses for other ailments which he didn't get when he was younger."

"Shut up!" Screamed Matthew. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Get the fuck out of here! I hate you all! You can all go and die! Kill yourselves already or kill me! Kill me! Just kill me! Kill me! Kill me! Fucking kill me!"

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "He gets a little like this after the last injection. Don't pay attention to him."

"Let's just leave." Muttered Gilbert. He didn't want to see Matthew this way any longer than was necessary.

Ludwig nodded in agreement and the two of them started to walk towards the door. "Fine!" Yelled Matthew. "If you won't kill me, then I'll just do it myself! I'll bite off my tongue! I'm sure everyone will just love the fact that a Tentacula, no matter how dangerous they are died after a medical treatment at Nightingale!"

Gilbert raised an eyebrow and looked over at Ludwig. '_Um… the fuck? Aren't you going to do anything? He just threatened to kill himself._'

Ludwig rubbed his temples and sighed in frustration. "Matthew, if you are going to threaten to do something, make it something believable."

Gilbert just looked at Ludwig completely dumbfounded. How could his brother just say something like that? It wasn't like him to be so uncaring. He quickly looked back at Matthew and gasped. "He's going to bite off his tongue!"

Before Gilbert could even blink Ludwig had ran over Matthew and prized his jaw open mid bite. "Don't just stand there!" He snapped. "Get me something to gag him!"

Gilbert quickly looked around the room and quickly passed Ludwig a cloth bandage. Ludwig quickly shoved the roll into Matthew's mouth and held it in place. He pulled a small roll of medical tape and fixed the cloth bandage in place. Matthew growled and shook his head, clearly outraged that he couldn't kill himself.

"Does his medication make him psychotic too?" Snapped Gilbert.

"Sometimes." Muttered Ludwig. "But not all the time… You should probably leave now. I have to make sure he doesn't chew through the gag and try to kill himself again." Gilbert frowned, but left the room. It wasn't like he could do anything to help Matthew.

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Matthew's life is so freaking sad! Please review.


	10. Murders in the Making

**Shinigami-cat: **Hey everyone I'm on holidays now! Yay! So here's the next chapter. If anyone can guess the band name and song that Matthew's singing I will be really impressed… I OWN NOTHING!

**Murders in the Making**

Matthew was freaking out. His heart was pounding in his ears as he quickly ran around the building looking for the only person who could give him answers. After several minutes of searching he found that person sitting in their room. In retrospect he should have looked there first. "What the hell Feliks?" He snapped.

Feliks looked up at Matthew curiously. "Um… okay, nice to see you here and stuff. Which colour looks better; passion pink or bubble gum pink?"

"Fuck your nail polish!" Cried Matthew in a panic. "What the hell did you do to my iPod?"

"Like nothing." Said Feliks.

Matthew rolled his eyes and started to scroll through the songs. "Let's see… Bruises and bitemarks? S&M? Toxic? I Kissed a Girl? And many, many more. I did not have these songs on here last time! Where's my stuff? Monster? I hate you? Get Out Alive? When you're evil? Murder song? Bacterial Contamination? Pain? Higurashi no Naku Koro ni? All my music is gone!"

"Your music was so drab." Said Feliks plainly as he studied his bottles of nail polish. "All I did was make it fab. I can't help it that you have horrible taste in music… Plus I thought some of those songs might get you in the mood to bend over and let Gilbert fuck you."

Matthew was just about ready to pull out his hair in frustration. "I don't want to have sex with him! All I want is to get out of here! Why are you so concerned about me getting laid?"

Feliks pouted and looked away. "You're like family to me Matthew… But I'm like not going to stay here forever. I just like want you to have someone for you to like love, you know? Even if it's like for a bit."

Matthew rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. He was not amused. "Feliks, I know for a fact that you're not going to stay here forever. As soon as you can you're out of here. I just want Gilbert to get me out of here! I don't want any physical connection with him! I just want him to get me out of here and then I'll kill him. I can't have too many loose ends." He frowned a little. "But what does any of this have to do with you changing all the music on my iPod?"

"I like did it because I was board okay?" Snapped Feliks. "You like seriously need to stop acting the way you act now. It's like so not cool. I mean you like need to stop, now. If you're like just stringing Gilbert along so you can like kill him I'm like sorry, but I'm like so not supporting you anymore. I like have half a mind to tell Ludwig everything."

Matthew's jaw dropped in pure shock and horror. "You wouldn't dare."

Feliks looked up at Matthew, a smirk stuck to his face. "Try me."

Matthew huffed and looked away. "Fine. I'll meet you half way. Instead of having sex with him I let him grope me but I'm still going to kill him. Happy now? He gets something out of this too."

Feliks sighed. "I'm like so not happy, but I like know that I like can't change your mind now."

"Damn straight." Growled Matthew. "I still have something I need to do, and I'll be damned if the police, the government, Nightingale or Gilbert tries to stop me from doing it. I owe them all absolutely nothing."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

After he had managed to change his music back to its original glory, Matthew spent most of the day listening to it. He liked listening to darker songs. Songs that growled out the lyrics and sung about pain, torment and human suffering. He didn't know why but it made him feel better.

He growled out the lyrics to one of his favourite songs with a small smile on his face. "_I get by just fine. CHECK! I've known much worse life. CHECK! I've conquered dark times. CHECK! They should fear my mind. CHECK!_" He chuckled to himself a little. "At this rate I might just develop a slight god complex."

But that was unlikely. He didn't think of himself as someone above all others. He didn't feel like he had the power to make or create anything. He just wanted to live in peace, but that was never going to be an option. Life was a cruel and harsh bitch.

If one were to ask him who had a god complex he would have said Humanity had a god complex. Humanity lords over all else. They alone decide what can be killed without feeling guilty. They decide what's right and wrong. They weed out all those who are different to them and tell them that something's wrong with them. He couldn't see what was wrong with himself apart from the fact that he was plotting to kill Gilbert.

How to kill Gilbert was the next question. There were hundreds of ways he could think of killing the man, none of which were as quick as using his tentacles. His tentacles were his biggest asset when it came to killing. There were just so many options to choose from; stabbing, asphyxiation, skinning, disembowelling even holding someone against electrical wires. For some reason Tentacula tentacles were nonconductive.

Considering what mood he was in he would probably go for a quick decapitation. Unlike the other people he had killed, Gilbert hadn't done anything to him to make him hate him.

'_He would make a beautiful corps…_' He thought. '_Ebony skin, snow kissed hair, ruby eyes… If I get the chance I might even wash his body before leaving. Yeah right, like that will make up for killing him… He does have beautiful eyes though._'

He smiled a little as he thought back to when they first met. He was surprised to see Gilbert in the art room, but he wasn't complaining. He knew that Gilbert would have been there soon anyway to interview him. When he looked into Gilbert's eyes he had expected to see something cold and distant. If that was the case he probably wouldn't have thought about trying to seduce him. Instead he saw something else, something warm and down to earth. He didn't expect to see that in the eyes of someone who did biographies for murderers for a living.

It was refreshing to see that look in someone's eyes when they were gazing at him. It made him feel less like a freak. More human. It was wonderful. He loved that feeling greatly.

But there was that darker part in the back of his mind that kept telling him that it wouldn't last. Gilbert would soon know everything about him. He would know every dark and twisted secret. He would hate him. Loath him. Gilbert would want to see him burn for what he did. That dark part of his mind was a strong part force in making believe it was okay to kill Gilbert. That man would never understand what it was like to live the life Matthew had. Matthew was a freak, a monster and something that should have never have been born.

He hated when those thoughts took hold in his mind, but he couldn't ignore the truth. There was blood on his hands. Lots of blood. Too much blood. Would it even matter if he killed Gilbert? Unlikely. He would just end up being another drop of red liquid on his already dirtied hands.

A knock at his door made Matthew frown. "Who is it?" At the door was Ludwig. Matthew growled a little in the back of his throat. "What do you want?"

Used to Matthew's sour mood, Ludwig simply ignored the harshness of the younger's voice. "We need to discuss your behaviour yesterday regarding your medication."

"Oh that." Muttered Matthew. He paused his music and took out his ear buds. "I honestly don't think there's much to discuss. You stopped giving me morphine with my medication and you made your brother watch me get medicated… You have any idea how demeaning and humiliating that is?"

"I had no say in that matter." Said Ludwig calmly. "I was told that he should view it for his book."

Matthew snorted in disgust. He didn't believe a word that Ludwig spoke. "Whatever. Why are you here? I know for a fact it isn't time for my medication again."

"Just routine questions and simple examinations." Said Ludwig simply. He clicked his pen and pressed it against his clip board. "How are you feeling today?"

Matthew shrugged. "Apathetic."

The taller blond nodded and scribbled down what Matthew said. "Do you feel any better with the music therapy? Do you believe it's helping you?"

"I do feel calmer when I listen to it." Mused Matthew. "Same when I'm allowed to paint. I guess it's all that creativeness or something like that. It just makes me feel better."

"I see." Said Ludwig as he quickly took note. "Do you feel better after talking to Gilbert about your life instead of us?"

Matthew chuckled a little. "I like talking to him about my life because he doesn't judge me or look down on me like I'm an animal. Makes a wonderful change from everyone in here that looks upon me with fear, pity and disgust. I almost feel like I'm a normal human being." He looked down and sighed a little. "But then I just remind myself that it doesn't matter because this is his job and he's probably got an excellent poker face. He's probably just hiding his emotions because I know that's what I would do if I were face to face with a monster."

"You're not a monster." Said Ludwig. "You just have a genetic abnormality that means that-"

"I have the ability to produce tentacles." Muttered Matthew miserably. "Poisons, toxins, antibiotics and vaccines have little to no effect on me. No poison can kill a Tentacula no matter how much they have in one go. The tentacles are nonconductive and therefore can curb the chances of getting electrocuted. Vision is slightly better at night than the average human at night but not as good as a purely nocturnal animal. Natural healing ability is better than most humans, halving the time taken for an injury to heal. Sense of smell is heightened slightly but it only works on certain things. Tentacula can also produce a pheromone that can sexually arouse other males and females even though all Tentacula are sterile. I've hear it all before."

"That's still no reason to call yourself a monster." Said Ludwig.

"What else can I call myself?" Growled Matthew spitefully. "I'm a freak! A fucking monster! Some mutant animal! Humans love putting weird creatures in cages and poking them and prodding them with needles to get samples and experiment on them. I am a monster! Why else would I be put in here instead of prison like I should be? Because I'm a freak!"

Ludwig frowned and scribbled down something else. No doubt he was commenting on how Matthew still couldn't see himself as human. "You need to stop looking at yourself as that."

"When you're sitting on this bed and I'm holding the clip board I might consider it." Said Matthew darkly. He was finding it harder and harder to pay attention to what Ludwig was saying or take it seriously.

Ludwig frowned and quickly jotted what Matthew said down. "Okay, I'm going to take your temperature now and your pulse. What do you want to do first?"

"As long as the thermometer is oral and not rectal I'm happy to do the temperature one first." Muttered Matthew.

Ludwig took a thermometer out of his pocket and held it up to Matthew's face. Matthew sighed a little but took the thermometer into his mouth. After a minute he handed it back to Ludwig who wrote down the temperature. Matthew then extended his arm and let Ludwig take his pulse.

Once his pulse was taken Ludwig pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it. Inside were several little black cubes glued to little sticky pads. "This is to monitor your heart beat throughout threw whole day. Try not to get them too wet." He started to put a few around Matthew's temples.

"Then I shall be sure to jump into the nearest body of water." Said Matthew sarcastically.

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Take off your shirt." When Matthew too off his shirt Ludwig stuck a few more of the black cubes around his heart on both his chest and back. "Okay, all done."

Matthew nodded and quickly pulled on his shirt. "Are you all done?" He really just wanted to be left alone.

"Not quite." Said Ludwig slowly. "You've been skipping meals again."

"No I haven't." Snapped Matthew darkly. "I've eaten all that slop that you call food. Hell, I probably got more nutrition eating out of the garbage cans back in Canada!"

"You know that's not true." Said Ludwig. "But I have been told that you have been skipping out on breakfast again and sometimes dinner."

Matthew scowled and looked away. He had been sleeping in later and trying to sleep earlier. He just didn't like interacting with people that much. He didn't really think it would be such a big deal. He was used to going months without a decent meal. "So? I'm just not hungry."

Ludwig sighed and ran his fingers through his slicked back hair. "You know I'm going to have to take away some of your privileges because of that."

Matthew gulped a little. '_Crap. What can he take away? Let's see… painting, going outside, my iPod, using the gym equipment and… damn they don't really give me a lot do they?_'

"I'll be informing staff that you're not allowed outside, you can't go to the art room and you'll need to hand in your iPod." Said Ludwig sternly. "Remember that iPod is company property."

Matthew growled but reluctantly handed over his iPod. "Want an arm and a leg too? Maybe be you want a tentacle? Just stop giving me that yellow gunk and cut off one when I try to kill you all."

"And you wonder why we won't let you go." Said Ludwig as he pocketed the iPod. "Threats of violence will get you nowhere. Just be thankful that you're still allowed to use the gym."

Matthew rolled his eyes. "I am ever so thankful to you. How can I ever repay you for your kindness and generosity?"

"Well for one you could stop being so sarcastic." Said Ludwig. "You know, if you tried just a little harder you could be a rather pleasant person."

"Why lie?" Asked Matthew with a smirk. "Being honest and speaking my mind is much more fun." It was true too. He had more fun telling people the truth about how he felt than putting on a fake smile and lying. Although it did have its perks.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

"He's becoming a liability." Muttered one of the many faceless CEO's. "He's only been staying in Nightingale for one year and he's already costing us most of our funding."

"What do you propose we do?" Asked a woman. "Because of him we've been able to find out more about Tentacula from him than a hundred volunteers or those we rescue from prostitution."

"It would be easier from him to cooperate if we knew more about him." Muttered a man.

Roderich cleared his throat. "If I might be so bold, I have something to say." When all attention was turned to him he continued. "I believe we have forgotten about one Gilbert Beilschmidt. If I'm not mistaken he is writing Matthew's biography is he not?" The whole meeting was thrown into an uproar.

"When did this happen?"

"Who decided this?"

"He could become a liability."

"Why was this not raised at the last meeting?

"He can't publish that book! It could ruin us!"

Roderich sighed. "Please calm down. This was decided by the three heads of the Nightingale cooperation. As you know they are the military, the government and of course the other unmentionable branch. But the more pressing matter is that Gilbert is unwittingly helping us compile a profile for Matthew."

"But he can't publish his book!"

"He won't publish his book." Said Roderich as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "It was discussed and decided that Gilbert will collect all information about Matthew's past for us and right at the last second we will tell him he cannot publish it and pay him a large sum for his troubles."

"Why bother paying him? We can't afford to do that."

"Perhaps we can kill two birds with one stone?" Suggested a man. "Why not give Matthew what he wants? He wants to be free right? We don't want him and we don't want to pay Gilbert. What if we simply force Matthew into a situation where his only option for freedom is to kill Gilbert?"

"It would give us a valid reason to kill Matthew too."

"We could get more government funding if and when the media finds out about this."

"Then it's decided. When Gilbert's book is almost finished we will force Matthew into a position where he has no choice but to kill Gilbert. Meeting dismissed." Roderich sat their stunned. That was not how he expected things to turn out.

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Everyone wants Gilbert dead! What is this? Please review!


	11. Travels

**Shinigami-cat: **The sing Matthew was singing in the previous chapter was Mermaider II The Water God by Dethklok. Only one person got that right! One person! Anyway, enough with my ranting… I OWN NOTHING!

**Travels**

After finding out the gruesome truth about his parents, Matthew had decided to pay his mother a visit. Her grave wasn't too far away. He could get there in a few days if he went the short way and cut through the town. He would have preferred to skim along the edge of society, but this was a special occasion. It wasn't every day he would be reunited with his mother.

It was about midday when he finally made it to the cemetery two days after he had found out. When he got there it took him a while, but he eventually found his mother's grave. Her tombstone was well kept. Her family must have been looking after it.

Family. On one hand he wanted to meet them. He wanted to know who they were. He wanted to know what it was like to be part of a family that would care for him. On the other hand they didn't even know he was alive. Would they just reject him for being his child? He didn't want to risk it.

He knelt down in front of the stone; small trinkets and knick knacks were placed in front, wilted flowers coloured red and white were wiling slightly and scattered around, her picture was placed in the middle of it all. The glass was slightly cracked but she looked happy. He wished he could see her smile for real.

"Hey mama." He whispered. "You probably don't know me but I'm your son Matthew… I'm sorry that I was born. If it were up to me I would be dead and you would still be alive. You didn't deserve what happened to you. If you hate me I would understand completely." He looked down and nervously bit his lip. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. That man shouldn't be alive. If I ever get the chance I promise you I'll make him pay for what he did."

He wanted to leave her something. But had didn't have anything. His eyes wandered to his writs and he smiled a little. He was wearing the sliver bracelet that belonged to his mother. He took it off and placed it in front of her smiling picture. '_I hope you like my gift mama._'

The sound of someone approaching made Matthew jump. He quickly turned and looked up to see a man approaching with a bouquet of flowers. Matthew gulped and quickly ran away. He was still skittish around people.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Gilbert rolled his eyes as he checked his phone. He had twenty new messages all from Roderich. "Fucking asshole." He muttered. "What does he want this time?"

"Probably wants you to finish writing the next chapter of your book." Said Francis as he grabbed his suit case. "Shall we get going?"

Gilbert nodded and followed Francis to the cab waiting for them outside. Gilbert and Francis were in British Columbia visiting Francis's dead step sister and Gilbert needed to hop over top Alberta to Springwood orphanage. Even if it was closed down it would be a good place to look at. He could get some reference images.

After a half hour cab drive they arrived in a small town. It reminded Gilbert a little of that show Ghost Whisperer. He shook his head and chuckled. '_Who the hell watches that show anymore?_' The cab pulled up in front a small block of flats and the two got out. Francis with his suit case and Gilbert with a back pack.

They walked into their apartment and got comfortable. In other words Francis packed away his things while Gilbert collapsed on the lounge and turned on the TV. "So this is your home town huh? It's very story book."

Francis shrugged. "I know. If you want we can head over and see her soon. I just need to stop off at a florist and get some flowers for her first."

Gilbert smiled a little. "Sound good. It'll be awesome to meet your step sister for once." After a few minutes Francis was packed and ready to go. They walked out to the street. It was a pleasant place really. It was almost hard to believe that a young girl like Francis's step sister just passed away like that.

As the duo walked down the street, Francis pointed out some places to Gilbert telling him amusing little stories and such about his life. Eventually they got to the florist and walked inside. A man with gravity defying hair was standing behind the counter, as soon as he saw Francis he waved. "Hey Francis. That time of year again? How are your folks handling it?"

Francis sighed. "They still mourn the loss, but there is not much they can do about it. Last I heard they were selling the house and moving back to France."

The man nodded. "Yeah, I saw the for sale sign… He's a friend of yours?"

Francis smiled. "Yes, this is Gilbert Beilschmidt. Gilbert, this is Lars. I went to middle school with him."

Gilbert nodded and waved at Lars. "Sup?"

"Nothing much." He turned his attention back to Francis. "Red and white roses again?"

Francis nodded. "Yep. Nothing but her favourite."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

With the flowers bought the two made their way to the local cemetery. They walked up the twisted stone path and down to a small modest tomb stone. Little knick knacks were scattered around its base. Francis knelt down and cleared away the dead flowers, sighing a little. "I really should bring another frame for her picture."

Gilbert shrugged. "I guess." He read the name of the tomb stone and frowned a little. "Matilda?"

Francis nodded and picked up the picture and showed it to Gilbert. "Yes, Matilda Bonnefoy."

Gilbert looked over the photo as a chill shot up his spine; long wavy blond hair pulled into two pigtails, large lavender eyes and a bright smile on her face. She looked like the female version of Matthew. "How did she die?" Whispered Gilbert quietly.

Francis sighed sadly. "She was kidnapped and raped. The corners report said that she bled to death shortly after giving birth. They found her body in a shed with a box full of rotted foetuses… I can't imagine the horror she went through."

Gilbert gulped and passed the picture back to Francis. '_Holy shit! Matthew is Francis's nephew! Holy crap! Okay, calm down… I have no proof… Besides the fact that I have a picture of a dead girl who was the same age as Matthew's mother when she died, a picture of a girl who looks just like Matthew…_' He looked down at the tomb stone and saw a slightly weathered and rusted silver bracelet with golden maple leaves on it. '_Oh… and there's the bracelet._'

Francis sighed a little and looked up at Gilbert. "Is something wrong?"

"That bracelet…" Muttered Gilbert. "Is that hers?"

Francis looked down at the bracelet and nodded. "Yes. As long as I've known her this was her favourite piece of jewellery… It's funny though, she wasn't found with it and it just turned up here about thirteen years after she died."

Gilbert nodded slowly. '_Shit… I think Matthew is Francis's nephew._'

Francis laid the new red and white roses at the base of the tomb stone and stood up frowning. "Are you okay Gilbert? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"It's nothing." Muttered Gilbert. "Nothing at all really… Just thinking about stuff…"

Francis shrugged. "Okay… When you want to tell me what's wrong I'll be more than happy to listen." He looked down at Matilda's grave and sighed. "Well… Matilda, this is Gilbert. I've told you about him before. At the moment he's working on a new book. Want to tell her about it Gilbert?"

Gilbert took in a long slow breath and frowned. "Well… I'm writing a book on Tentacula. Specifically I'm writing about this guy who everyone calls Shredder, but his real name is Matthew… He's had a really tough life, and I know it just gets worse… Maybe if he had a family, things would be different… But it's nice to meet an awesome relative to the slightly awesome Francis."

Francis chuckled at his friend's way of talking. "You're ridiculous sometimes."

"That's because I'm awesome." Said Gilbert with a grin. "Look, I'll give you two some alone time. You two have some catching up to do… I'll see you back at the hotel okay? And Matilda, it was awesome to finally meet you."

"Thank you Gilbert." Said Francis quietly.

Gilbert smiled and walked away. Even though he looked calm on the outside he was freaking out on the inside. Matthew was Francis's nephew. There was no denying it. Matthew had even said that his mother looked like him and her name was Matilda. He had no idea if he should tell Francis or not. The Frenchman was a weird sort of guy when it came to family issues. There were two extremes; over joyed and fully embrace Matthew immediately or he could just reject him flat out.

'_Fuck… What the hell do I do?_' He growled. '_Shit, shit, shit, fuck!_'

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Things had been slightly unstable between Francis and Gilbert. Francis had been a little more distant while Gilbert had been battling a moral dilemma. To escape it, he had decided it might be for the best if he crossed the border and went to see how Springwood was going.

Within two hours he was standing outside the run down structure that was slowly being slowly being taken back by the trees. He frowned and took a few pictures of the outside before walking inside.

The paint on all the walls was cracking and peeling away, there were spots of wood rot and fungal growths in some of the corners. He got a few pictures down stairs before carefully walking up and looking around.

After walking around for a bit he found an open door with the yellow and black police tape crossed over it. Judging by the thick layer of dust coating it, it didn't look like anyone would be coming back soon.

All Gilbert had to do was push against it with his index finger for the tape to crack and fall. He stepped over the tape and looked around the room; deep slash marks were in the wall, dried blood stains on the walls and the floor, this was where Matthew committed his first murder.

"Oh Matthew…" He muttered sadly. He took several photos before stopped to really look around. By looking at the pattern of the blood splatter he could see three major blood pools. From what he understood from Matthew's recount two of the boys were murdered near Kuma's body. That explained the largest blood pool near the far wall. The next blood pool was near the back wall. That one was probably caused by the boy that was restraining Matthew. The final blood pool was closest to the door, caused by Carlos.

It was a horrible site to see, but he needed reference images. Suddenly his phone went off. He sighed and quickly checked. He had gotten yet another text message from Roderich. He frowned and went back to taking photos. If what Roderich had to tell him was so important he could call him up or wait till he was back in America.

After he took a few more photos his phone went off again. Reluctantly he answered it. "Hey Gil." Said a rather cheerful Hungarian woman.

"Hey Liz." Said Gilbert. "What's up?"

"Nothing much… Just wanted to know how you were going."

Gilbert smirked. "I'm very flattered, but I'm not interested in you that way."

"Oh no, you saw right through my cleaver rouse to seduce you for reasons even I'm not aware of." She said sarcastically.

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit."

"Says the man who uses awesome in every second sentence."

"… Okay I'll give you that." Muttered Gilbert. "But why are you calling me? I'm working."

"Like I said, I wanted to know how you were going."

Gilbert sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Well… I'm kind of facing a moral dilemma at the moment… What would you do if you knew something that happened to your best friend's dead sister that could ultimately shatter their world?"

Elizabeth thought for a moment. "Depends on what it was… What did you find out?"

Gilbert frowned, slightly nervous about telling Elizabeth. "Okay I'll tell you, but what I say I say with the strictest confidentiality. You can't tell anyone this."

"My lips are sealed."

Gilbert sighed. "Francis's step sister is Matthew's mother."

"… Pardon? I think I miss heard you. Did you just say that your friend Francis's dead step sister is the mother of Matthew Williams AKA Shredder?" Asked Elizabeth in disbelief.

Gilbert nodded and walked out of the crime scene. "Yeah, she looks just like a female version of Matthew… What am I going to do Liz? I can't tell Francis straight up that his nephew, that he never knew existed, is a killer that mutilated… lord knows how many people, and I sure as hell can't tell Matthew that I know how his uncle is! Who knows what he might do? What do I do Liz?"

"… Firstly, you are not going to tell Francis or Matthew until there is no doubt in your mind that those two are relatives." She said in a calm voice. "Secondly, you are going to get your ass back to America."

"Fine!" Whined Gilbert. He carefully started to walk down the steps. "And you seriously need to stop your boyfriend from texting me! I know I'm awesome and everything, but if I'm ever going to finish this book I'll need to be able to work in peace!"

"That's what Roderich wants to talk about." Said Elizabeth in a slightly worried tone. "I think there's something wrong with your book. Every time I mention it and how much of a best seller it's going to be, he just nods and speaks in a very monotone voice before playing Chopin on the piano… I'm worried about him."

Gilbert sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Okay, fine. I'll be back in a day or two. Tell Ludwig he better not be hurting Matthew with those stupid drug tests. Just because I'm out of the country doesn't mean I don't care about what happens to him."

He could practically hear the brunet grinning on the other end of the phone. "Is it just me or are you getting protective of him? Could it be that the hard hearted Gilbert Beilschmidt has fallen for the charm of a cute killer?"

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "I just want him to be coherent when I talk to him next, and for your information people tend to talk more when they don't feel like their body is on fire." With that he hung up on her and sighed. That woman would be the death of him one day.

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **And that's that… I'm going to sleep now. Good night/morning/evening/whatever. Please review!


	12. Uncertain Feelings

**Shinigami-cat: **Hey everyone! How's it all going? Lately I haven't had much time to write because of this stop animation thing I'm doing for photography, so please forgive any spelling mistakes that I may make. I make them because I'm very tired and only have late at night to work on it.

**Uncertain Feelings**

Matthew pulled the covers over his head, refusing to move. He didn't care if all his privileges were taken away. He just wanted to stay under there and never move again. They had started giving him some weird drug. It gave him a bladder infection. Every time he moved his legs white hot pain would cut right through him, he needed to urinate all the time, he couldn't urinate at all and when he did he felt like he was pissing fire.

"Just kill me already…" He muttered miserably.

"Like hello Matthew!" Called Feliks as he skipped through the door. "You like totally skipped breakfast again. Naughty, naughty… Like what's wrong with you?"

"Bladder infection." Sighed Matthew. "I can't move at all or I'll scream… I'll give you a hundred bucks if you cut out my bladder right now."

"You don't have a hundred bucks." Said Feliks.

"Two hundred than." Groaned Matthew in pain. "Two hundred and a bottle of strawberry pink nail polish."

Feliks thought for a moment, tapping his chin. "That's like so tempting, but I like don't want to kill you. That would be so not cool."

"I guess…" Muttered Matthew. "Can you get me some water with a straw? If I try to sit up I might piss myself."

Feliks nodded and walked out of the room. "Totally. See you in a bit!"

When he was gone Matthew peeked out from under the cover. '_Why the hell did they give me that stuff? Are they trying to kill me? Wouldn't be surprised if they were…_' He whimpered in pain as he tried to move his leg. '_Damn it… I need to pee._' He looked over at the bathroom door with one eye. It was so close, yet too far away. '_… Fuck it. I'll get Feliks to drag me when he gets back._'

Matthew closed his eyes and sighed, letting his mind wander to thoughts about Gilbert. He wondered where he was and why he hadn't seen him for so long. But since the only way he could tell the time by looking out the window or asking the doctors. He hoped Gilbert would come back soon. He missed being able to talk to him. It was comforting.

When the heard the door open again he smiled and reached out his arms. "Hey Feliks, give me a hand would you? I can't get up and I really need to pee." He felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his waist and lift him up. He whimpered slightly in pain. He looked up at Feliks and gasped when he saw a pair of bright red eyes staring at him. "Gilbert!" Cried Matthew in shock. "Put me down!"

"I thought you needed to pee." Said Gilbert. "What happened to you?"

Matthew's face burned bright red. "I um… Bladder infection. Nothing to worry about really, but I really need to go to the bathroom. Now!"

Gilbert nodded and carried Matthew to the bathroom. "Um… Need me to do anything else?"

"No!" Squeaked Matthew. "Just put me down and close the door and wait outside."

Gilbert smiled a little and put Matthew on the floor. "Call if you need any help okay?"

Matthew nodded. "Yeah… Sure… Just get out okay?"

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Gilbert stood outside the door and frowned. It hurt him to see Matthew in pain, but it couldn't be helped. It was possible that Matthew had contracted his infection by accident, but for some nagging reason he thought that maybe the doctors had something to do with it. As terrible as it sounded he thought it might be true.

After about half an hour he knocked on the door. "Hey Matthew? Are you okay in there? Need any help?"

"No!" Called Matthew in a slightly pained voice. "I'm fine! Stay out there! Don't come in here please!"

A devilish smirk spread across Gilbert's face. "You don't want me to come in? To think a few weeks ago you were ready to bend over and have sex with me."

"Shut up!" Cried Matthew in a panic. "Just forget about that!"

Gilbert chuckled. "No. I'll do what I want."

"… Fine." Mumbled Matthew. From the other side Gilbert could hear the sound of the toilet flushing. "A little help please."

Gilbert slowly opened the door and looked down at the floor where Matthew was laying against. He picked him back up and carried him to his bed where he put him back down and placed the cover over him again. "You okay Birdie?"

"I'm fine." Whispered Matthew softly, his tears slowly rolling down his face. "Just a little pain. Nothing I can't handle."

"It's okay to admit that you're in pain." Said Gilbert softly. "You don't have to hide it either. I can see it in your eyes… If you don't want to do another interview today just tell me and I'll go." He didn't want to cause Matthew any stress or pain. But Matthew did something unexpected.

He reached out and grabbed Gilbert's arm. "Stay… please… I don't want to be alone… Please." He whispered quietly. "I missed you…"

Gilbert smiled a little and sat down on the floor next to Matthew's bed. He sounded so weak and lonely he just couldn't say no to him. He reminded him of a small child reaching out to their mother wanting comfort. "I missed you too… I went to Alberta the other day."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Did you visit my old home?"

"Yes." Said Gilbert. "It's closed down now, nature's slowly taking the building back… I took some photos of the room where… Well you know…"

Matthew frowned. "Oh… Does that make you hate me?"

"No." Said Gilbert honestly. "I just feel a little disappointed and surprised that you could actually do something like that."

"Neither did I." Muttered Matthew sadly. He curled up onto his side hissing in pain. "But that's just how it turned out. I turn around and stop it now can I?"

Gilbert shrugged and held Matthew's hand. "Well no, but you just have to keep moving forwards."

"Moving forwards would be a lot easier if I could actually move my legs." Said Matthew glumly.

Gilbert sighed. He hated seeing Matthew in pain. It hurt him a lot. Matthew didn't deserve to be in such pain. It was horrible, but he had to remind himself that he was a criminal, a murderer. If he was in pain it wasn't his problem, Matthew probably deserved it anyway. For some reason he couldn't bring himself to truly believe in his own thoughts.

"I like totally have your water!" Called Feliks as he walked in. "You like have no idea how hard it is to find a straw in this place… Oh hey Gilbert."

"Sup… You're Feliks right?" Asked Gilbert.

Feliks grinned and walked over to the bed. "Like totally. Nice to see you remembered my name. He crouched next to Matthew and put the straw in the drink. "Like come on Matthew. You like totally need to drink. Just because you like only let out a drop when you need to go doesn't mean you like need to get dehydrated."

Matthew reluctantly took hold of the flimsy plastic cup and took a few sips. "If someone gets me a knife I'll cut out my bladder right now."

Feliks rolled his eyes. "Like don't pay attention to him Gilbert. He's like this when he gets put on new meds."

"New meds? Asked Gilbert. "I thought they stopped doing all the drug testing?"

"They are never going to stop going that." Groaned Matthew. "Damn it. I just want the pain to stop."

"Oh crap!" Cried Feliks. "I like totally forgot to get my meds! Later you two!" He quickly ran out of the room as fast as he could, leaving Gilbert alone with Matthew.

"Um… They are pretty strict with the medication thing here." Muttered Gilbert.

"You don't know the half of it." Mumbled Matthew. "… Do you want to know more about my past?"

"It can wait." Said Gilbert calmly. "You need to rest up, get better."

Matthew chuckled a little. "Rest up? Get better? I doubt they'll let me do that. Knowing them they'll probably stick a probe up my ass and make me run on a treadmill until I collapse."

"Are you serious?" Asked Gilbert in disbelief.

Matthew shrugged. "I was joking about the probe, but the treadmill… That's still a reality."

"That isn't right." Growled Gilbert. "They can't force you to do that if you don't want to. They're torturing you."

Matthew sighed sadly and closed his eyes. "What does it matter? My life is pretty much meaningless… I have absolutely nothing left in this world… My parents are either dead or have abandoned me… Those women and men that took me in, cast me out when they found out what I was… The only true friend I made about my age, murdered in front of my eyes… I have nothing."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow curiously. "Who were these women and men and who was that boy?"

Matthew chuckled a little. "When I was living in Washington I lived in a brothel with several prostitutes. They treated me very well. The men that ran the place let me stay there as long as I agreed to go grocery shopping and cleaned up the bar during the day… As for the guy around my age… Because of mistaken identity he was shot to death instead of me… Everyone that I ever cared about has either abandoned me or is dead."

Gilbert frowned a little. '_That's probably how he learnt how to seduce people… If he lived in a brothel he probably learnt a bunch of other stuff to…_' His mind quickly delved into rather graphic and erotic places. He was thankful that Matthew's eyes were closed or he would have seen the dark blush covering his face. '_Fuck, fuck, fuck! I should not be thing that kind of stuff! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_'

The sound of someone knocking on the door frame made Gilbert look up. Standing there was his brother. "Am I interrupting one of your interviews?" He asked.

Gilbert shook his head. "Nope. Not at all. What are you doing here?"

"I need to get a urine sample to make sure he gets the right antibiotic." He said simply.

"I can't pee." Muttered Matthew miserably. "I can't even move anything below my waist."

"I realize that." Said Ludwig calmly. He walked over to Matthew and took a needle out of his coat pocket. "I'm going to give you some morphine so you can lie flat on your back."

Matthew looked at Ludwig with one eye sceptically. "You're going to stick a needle in my bladder aren't you?"

"There's no point in saying otherwise is there?" Asked Ludwig.

Matthew lazily held up his arm. "Go ahead. The sooner it clears up the better."

Ludwig took Matthew's arm and injected the liquid into his arm. "You're still not allowed to have too much morphine. This will take the edge off the pain, but won't make it completely disappear. When you can lie flat on you back." He looked over at Gilbert. "Would you mind holding him down just in case?"

Gilbert shrugged. "Not really."

After about five minutes Matthew had rolled onto his back, giggling slightly. The morphine had kicked in. "This stuff always makes me feel a little light headed." He giggled.

Ludwig sighed and looked over at Gilbert. "Now would be the time to hold him down. He gets a little… Interesting depending on how much morphine he's given."

Gilbert shrugged and held down Matthew's arms. He had no real experience in how to restrain someone who was high on morphine, but it didn't seem too difficult. "Like this?"

"Ja." Said Ludwig as he pulled an empty syringe out of his pocket. "Just keep him still. I don't need to accidently stab him in the colon."

With that lovely imagery aside Gilbert looked down at Matthew, he only just realized how close their faces were. Matthew looked up at the albino grinning. "You have some flakes of pink in your eyes. Is pwetty."

Gilbert chuckled a little at Matthew's childish talk. "Um… pwetty? You speeks good Engrish."

Matthew grinned, his eyes were glazed over slightly due to the medication but he still looked cute. "Yep… What's poking me?"

Gilbert looked down at Ludwig who had pulled Matthew's pants down slightly so he could get a sample. He could see the yellow liquid flowing into the needle. "Just my bro stabbing you with a needle. Nothing new."

"Okay I've got the sample." Said Ludwig. "You can let him go now."

Gilbert nodded and let go of Matthew's arms, but as soon as he did so Matthew wrapped his arms around Gilbert's neck pressing their foreheads together. "I don't like it when they poke me with needles… When you stay they leave me alone, but when you go they come back. Stay with me."

Gilbert could feel his face starting to burn again. "A little help West?"

"He'll let go in his own time." Said Ludwig calmly. "If you try to pry him off you he'll just hold on tighter. He is surprisingly strong."

Gilbert sighed and looked straight into Matthew's eyes. "Let go."

"Um… No." Said Matthew with a grin.

Gilbert managed to pull himself away from Matthew a little but ended up with the blond wrapping his arms around Gilbert's chest with his face nuzzled into the crook of the albino's neck. "Is this what you mean when you said he was interesting when he was on morphine?"

Ludwig nodded. "Ja, he gets clingy with small doses. But when the dose is higher he becomes more… for a lack of a better word I'll say psychotic. Just wait until he falls asleep or Feliks drops by."

Almost as if on cue Feliks appeared with a small bandage wrapped around his wrist. "I'm like back… Like Matthew's either making a move or he's had morphine again."

"Morphine. I'm sure you two can sort this out." Said Ludwig as he turned to leave.

When he was gone Feliks grinned like a cat. "So… I think I'll leave you two alone for now."

"Don't you dare!" Snapped Gilbert. "I have places to be! Get him off me!"

Feliks rolled his eyes. "Fine! I'll help you out." He walked over to Matthew and slipped his arms in between Matthew and Gilbert. Slowly he was able to pull Matthew over to him and set Gilbert free from the Canadian's grip. "There. All done."

Gilbert smiled and nodded. "Thanks Feliks. I owe you one."

Feliks chuckled as he pulled Matthew onto his lap. "Everyone always owes me a favour." He smiled as he looked down at Matthew's face. "You're like such a handful Matthew. I like have no idea what to do with you sometimes."

"You could start with getting me a bottle of maple syrup." Said Matthew happily as he clung to Feliks's torso.

Feliks rolled his eyes. "You're like so going to be embarrassed tomorrow when the morphine wears off."

"Don't care." Chirped Matthew. "Pancakes! I want to make pancakes!"

"Later." Cooed Feliks. He looked up at Gilbert and shrugged. "He'll be like this for a while. If you need to go then like go. I can take care of him."

Gilbert nodded and walked out of the room, leaving the two of them alone. He couldn't help but feel a small pang of jealousy. He didn't want to leave Matthew with Feliks in his drug induced state. He frowned and shook his head. '_Why does he do this to me? Anyway I guess I should look for Roderich… Stupid bastard still hasn't stopped texting me._'

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat:** Ta da! I have got nothing to say about this! Please review!


	13. Love, Lust and the Bet

**Shinigami-cat: **Well… yeah… I seriously have no idea what to write for these things any more. They are becoming random ramblings that make no sense what so ever… But it is jolly good fun. That's the first time in a long time I've used jolly in a sentence before… I OWN NOTHING

**Love, Lust and the Bet**

Gilbert walked into Roderich's office with a grin on his face. "The awesome me has arrived! Now quit texting me or people are going to start thinking we are lovers!"

Roderich rolled his eyes, hardly looking up from the paper work on his desk. "Shut the door Gilbert. We really need to talk."

Gilbert shrugged and locked the door. He waltzed over to a seat and sat down. "What's all this about specs? You pissed off that you haven't got a copy of my latest chapter yet? Ask Liz for it."

"This isn't a matter concerning your book." Said Roderich. "Well, it is but this concerns your life more than anything." He looked up at Gilbert and sighed. "I want you to stop writing that book."

"No." Hissed Gilbert. "Like fuck I'm going to stop just because you think that Matthew is too dangerous to be around and all that bullshit."

Roderich sighed and rubbed his temples in frustration. "Gilbert just listen to me! Matthew is more than just dangerous. He's becoming too expensive to keep here alive! The board has decided to put him down."

Gilbert's blood ran cold. "You're joking right? There's no way that they could do that… They can't just kill him. You have to be joking!"

"I wish I was…" Muttered Roderich. "But they want to kill him in a way that would mean minimal losses and more funding on their part… When your book is almost done they are going to do a 'trial run'. Tentacula criminal are given twenty four hours of freedom with a handler to see if they can intergrade back into society. On the trial run they are going to put Matthew with you and let him kill you. At which point they will have cause to treat Matthew as hostile and are allowed to kill him."

Gilbert shook his head. "The fuck? Why would they want me dead?"

"I assume it's because if we stopped you from writing your book you are entitled to a payout that we can't afford." Said Roderich calmly. "But if you were to stop writing it of your own free will we don't have to give you a payout. You can just walk away and forget about everything."

This was the first time that Gilbert's life had been threatened by a company and not a psychopath behind bars. It was a new experience for him because they might actually make good and said threat. "Okay then… let's just say that hypothetically I did drop this. What would happen to Matthew?"

Roderich shrugged. "I'm guessing he might still get put down… He costs us more than half a million each month just on medication alone." He shook his head. "But that's not important. I just wanted to warn you because you're sadly my friend."

Gilbert thought about this situation for a moment. If he stopped writing this story he would live but Matthew would get killed. Probably in a really horrible and sadistic way too. If he kept writing there was a chance that he and Matthew could both die, but he didn't believe that Matthew could be capable of killing him. "Thanks for your concern, but I'm going to keep writing."

"But you're going to die!" Cried Roderich in shock. "Are you crazy?"

Gilbert smirked and leaned back in the chair. "Probably… But you would have to be crazy to murder someone because they are 'to expensive' to keep, and what's with all that 'put down' bullshit? Why are you taking about him like he's an animal?"

"With the way he acts sometimes it's hard to tell what he is." Snapped Roderich.

Gilbert glared at Roderich. '_Who the fuck does this pompous arrogant bastard think he is? Does he honestly think he's better than Matthew just because he's human and Matthew is a Tentacula?_'

Roderich rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that look. No wait, don't tell me… You've fallen for his charms haven't you? Well that's all the more reason to stop writing this book!"

"Shut the fuck up Roderich." Growled Gilbert darkly. "He's not an animal. From what I've seen and from what he's told me, he's more human than most of the people here!"

Roderich slammed his hands on the table. "He's a murderer! He's slaughtered countless people for no damn reason! He may claim that he was scared at the time or defending himself but he's just a murderer!"

"You take that back!" Yelled Gilbert. He had never once thought that criminals murderers. He couldn't. By thinking that from the get go all his work would be bias. He prided himself on all his books having as little bias as possible, but with Matthew it was different. No matter how much he kept telling himself otherwise he couldn't deny it.

"Why should I take back the truth?" Hissed Roderich. By this time they were both standing up and glaring lightning bolts at each other. Any second now one of them was going to do something or say something that would lead to someone heading to the hospital with a broken nose.

But before things could escalate into a bloody fist fight Elizabeth happened to walk. "Hey Roddy, let's go get lunch… Well, well, well, what's all this then?"

"Roddy's got a stick shoved up his ass again." Growled Gilbert darkly. He walked past Elizabeth with a scowl plastered to his face. "I don't care what you say. I'm going to finish this biography even if it kills me."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

To try and clear his head a little and forget about the whole conversation with Roderich he managed to convince Antonio and Francis to meet him in a local pub. They sat in a booth up the back away from it all. His friends were making light hearted conversation as he looked into his mug of beer with distaste. "You seem really down today Gil." Said Antonio. "Is there something wrong?"

"Work is tough." Mumbled the albino.

Francis sighed. "This isn't about Matthew again is it?"

Antonio's eyes lit up with interest. "Matthew? Who is Matthew? A guy you got your eye on?"

Gilbert blushed a little and looked away. "No."

Francis chuckled and took a sip of wine. "Matthew is also known as Shredder. I conclude that Gilbert has a crush on him but won't admit it because Matthew is a murderer."

Antonio nodded slowly. "I see… Didn't you write a collection on biographies about women and men that fell in love with criminals and helped them with their crimes?"

"I don't like Matthew in that way." Growled Gilbert. He picked up his mug and drank a mouthful.

"So you don't find him attractive at all?" Asked Francis with a smirk.

"Okay, he looks cute…" Muttered Gilbert. "But I don't like him that way. He is a murderer. I can't let emotions get in the way of a biography. When I do that things become bias. If even one of my books becomes bias all my other books get questioned."

Antonio shrugged. "Well you can't help it that you like him."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "You did not hear a word I just said did you?"

"Take me and Lovino for example." Said Antonio, ignoring Gilbert completely. "He can be quite dangerous at times but I know he would never really hurt me or kill me. Deep down he really does care about me."

Francis nodded in agreement. "Someone once said that love is giving someone the ability to destroy you, but trusting that they won't."

Gilbert shook his head. Trust him to make friends with people that chose to ignore him when he was trying to explain something. "Don't make my mind up for me. I don't like him in the way that you two think I do. I don't love him."

"Then you lust after him." Said Francis simply. "You lust after him because of his cute looks. It is a well-known fact that you do like cute things."

"It's not like that at all!" Cried Gilbert. He wanted to talk to his friends to stop thinking about Matthew, not to talk about him. "Why do you guys have to make this all so difficult?"

Francis and Antonio shared a look and smirked. "We aren't making things difficult." He said in unison.

Gilbert face palmed. He was surrounded by idiots. "Look, I just like the kid. He's not a bad kid. He's just made some mistakes in his life and has experienced some real trauma. I'm surprised he doesn't have PTSD."

"Maybe he does." Said Antonio thoughtfully. "Remember when we first met Lovino and Feliciano in high school? They were really quiet and that car crash happened when they were about ten right? They did have a bit of trouble making friends… I know Feliciano was really friendly but he didn't have any really close friends and Lovino was… Lovino."

Francis tapped his chin. "I see… So you're saying that Matthew could be acting in the only way he knows will guarantee his survival or something?"

"Something like that." Said Antonio.

Gilbert shook his head a little. It seemed likely that Matthew might have some form of PTSD. After experiencing death at such a young age and just watching it occur repeatedly throughout his whole life would have been more than enough to cause it.

But if Matthew was just wearing a mask right now, who was he really? He had seen several changes in his behaviour since they had met. Which one was the real Matthew? The quiet kid that quietly talked about his life, the shy boy that needed comfort when he was ill or was he the seductive succubus that attempted to seduce him? Many questions but no answers.

"I guess I'll have to ask Ludwig if I can get a more in depth psychological analysis." Muttered Gilbert.

Antonio shrugged. "You should."

"But you can't deny that you love him or at least lust after him." Said Francis with a grin.

Gilbert looked down at his beer and sighed. He brought the mug to his lips and practically inhaled the amber liquid like it was air. When he was done he slammed the mug down on the table and glared at Francis. "I don't love him and I don't lust after him."

"Shall we make a bet then?" Asked Francis with a grin that gave off the impression that he knew a secret.

Against his better judgement the albino agreed. "Fine. What's the bet and what are the stakes?"

The Frenchman grinned deviously. "I bet that you realize that you are in love or are lusting after Matthew before the end of your book. If you realize either of those two things I get… five hundred dollars. You win I give you the same amount."

Gilbert shook his head. "Nope. I don't want your money… Instead I want you to dress up as a frog for a whole week, excluding work so you don't get fired. In other words you have to go out to clubs, shopping and other normal activities dressed as a frog. That's worth at least five hundred dollars."

"Deal." Said Francis without hesitation. "Easiest five hundred I've ever made in my life."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not losing to you of all people." Said Gilbert with a grin. "I can't wait to see you walking around in a frog costume."

Antonio chuckled. "You guys are so weird sometimes."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Matthew whimpered as he pulled the pillow over his head. He just wanted to vanish into thin air. Feliks just laughed and grinned as he stood over Matthew's trembling form. "I'm so sorry!" Cried Matthew. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I can't believe I did that! I'm so sorry!"

Feliks knew he had to be serious for Matthew's sake, but it was all too funny. "Like, blame the morphine!"

"I can't believe I hugged Gilbert and told him I wanted him to stay with me!" Whimpered Matthew. "I must have sounded so stupid, and let's not even mention what happened a few seconds ago!"

"It's not like you could help it." Teased Feliks. "Ludwig did tell you that the antibiotic would make you need to pee really badly."

"I don't care!" Snapped Matthew. "I'm never coming out again! Just let me rot away here and die!"

Feliks giggled and sat on the edge of the bed. "Come on Matthew. It's like, not that embarrassing… I mean who cares if you wet… actually make that drenched your pants."

"Fuck you."

"Look on the bright side." Said Feliks with a grin. "At least now you can pee properly again."

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Hooray for Matthew's ability to pee again! Bladder infections suck balls! Please review!


	14. Brothel

**Shinigami-cat: **Hey everyone! So anyway… My life has been going pretty well so far, although I have no freaking clue how to plan for any thing at all! Anyway there's going to be some nyotalia in this chapter and the next because there aren't enough female characters damn it, also the Nordics feature… I OWN NOTHING!

**Brothel**

Matthew sighed a little as he gingerly touched the white canvas. He wasn't sure what to paint. After mush debate between Feliciano and Ludwig, Matthew was allowed to start painting again, but he wasn't allowed to go to the gym or use his iPod.

"Ve, what are you going to paint today Matthew?" Asked Feliciano happily. "Another polar bear?"

"Maybe." Muttered Matthew quietly. "I'm not sure… I might paint something different this time…"

Feliciano beamed. "Something different? How wonderful!" From where he sat on the table two tentacles slithered out from the back of his shirt and towards his backpack. The tentacles wrapped around the bag and pulled it towards them. He then procedecto pull out several art books. "What kind of style? Modernist? Pop art? Cubist? Dadaism?"

Matthew shrugged. "I'm in a Renasaunce mood. Got any books about that?"

"Si." Said Feliciano. He quickly pulled out a book and started to flip through the pages. "What do you want to paint?"

Matthew thought for a second. "Any angels or fallen angels?"

Feliciano raised an eyebrow but still opened the book up to an angel. "Not really many fallen angels… But here's one of Gabriel."

Matthew looked down at the picture and frowned a little. It wasn't what he wanted, but he could make it work. "Can you leave the book here while I paint?"

Feliciano nodded. "Okay. Just call me if you need anything." He turned around and skipped over to the other side of the room.

Matthew frowned and started to look through the book. Image after image was relativly the same in their depiction of heavely beings. After a while he just gave up and started to look at other images. Nothing really struck his fancy. He just ended up painting a small lonely looking figure. He looked up in slight curiosity when the door opened and Gilbert walked in. The sight of the albino warmed his heart for some reason.

Feliciano beamed and ran over to Gilbert giving him a hug. This didn't sit very well with Matthew but he wasn't sure why. "Ve, hey Gilbert. Here to interview Matthew again?"

Gilbert nodded. "Yep, and I can see he's painting another polar bear."

"Not a ploar bear this time." Said Matthew softly.

Gilbert grinned and walked over to the Canadian, looking over his shoulder. "An angel of somesort?"

Matthew nodded. "Yeah… It's not really turning out how I want though… I can't get the wings right."

"Why not paint a bird?" Asked Gilbert. "That way you'll be able to get used to painting wings. It'll be good practice."

Matthew frowned but nodded. "Yeah… Okay I'll paint a bird instead." He got a large paint brush and started to paint over his picture with white paint. There was no point in waisting a canvas that was half done. Well, not in his opinion anyway.

Gilbert sat on a chair near him and took out a tape recorder. "The other day you mentioned something about living in a brothel?"

Matthew nodded. "Yeah… Well after I saw my mother I decided to leave my homeland and move to America… The closest state was Washington so I snuck past the boarder and into the city… But seeing as how I had no money I ended up living in the streets. I ended sleeping in a cardboard box when it happened…"

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

The sound of a bottle smashing ripped Matthew out of his somewhat peacful sleep. He was about fifteen give or take. He wasn't really sure anymore. His life consisted of stealing clothes out of donation bins and attempting to apply for jobs, but without valid ID it was impossible.

He sighed a little and pulled his hoodie up a little more over his eyes. '_Tomorrow…_' He thought. '_Tomorrow I'll move out of the red light district… The smell here makes my nose itch._'

"Piss off!" Snapped a rather angry woman. "I'm not fucking working tonight!"

"Come on love." Slupred a rather drunken man. "I'm not asking for much."

Matthew frowned and looked up at the two people walking down his alleyway. The woman had long blond hair tied back into two pony tails and bright green eyes. She was wearing a lot of makeup, a tight skirt that should have been classified as underwear with the pattern of the union jack, super high stripper heals and some kind of boob tube that looked like it was made of sticky tape. The man on the other hand looked like he had way too much to drink and a bit of a brut to boot.

The woman snarled at the man. "First of all I just said that I'm not fucking working! I don't fucking care how much you're fucking paying me! I'm getting the fuck home!" She turned and started to storm off, but the man was having none of that. He grabbed her and slammed her against a wall and slapped her.

"Fucking whore." He growled. "Just shut up and turn around."

The woman started to thrash around. "NO! GET OFF ME! RAPE! RAPE!"

Matthew shivered. '_Okay, just because she's a prostitute doesn't mean she has to have sex with everyone._' He slowly stood up, picking up two rather heavy looking glass bottles and walked over to the man. Without hesitating he smashed one into the back of his head and shattered the other against his lower back. Not only was he knocked out, but he would have one hell of a sore back when he woke up.

He looked at the woman and smiled a little. "Are you okay miss?"

The woman nodded and dusted herself off, stepping over the man's body. "Thank you lad." She said softly. "But um… quick question, why are you in the red light district?"

"I'm moving away from here tomorrow." Said Matthew with a small shrug. "But I guess I'll have to move tonight since that guy's pretty much at my front door…"

"What do you mean?" Asked the woman. Matthew gestured towards the cardboard box. "Oh…" Said the woman. "I see… How old are you? What's you name lad? I'm Alice."

"Matthew… I pretty sure I'm fifteen. Maybe we should go… I'm not sure how hard I hit him."

Alice nodded a little. "Yeah… Where are your parents? I'll take you back to your apartment or closest subway."

"I have no parents." Said Matthew. "I'm an orphan."

"I see… That is a bit of a pickle…" She frowned a little and sighed. "Look, since you saved me I'll help you find a place to stay for the night. I owe you that much. Now follow me we need to meet up with… Françoise…" The other woman's name had a fair bit of venom added to it.

The pair walked down the street and stopped at a corner where there was a tall woman wearing a red, white and blue corset, tight white booty shorts and bright blue heels. She looked over at Alice and grinned. "I thought for moment you left me here again."

Alice growled. "That was one bloody time and you know it!"

The other woman laughed and looked at Matthew. "Um… is it just me or does he seem a little under aged?"

Alice's face turned bright red. "Shut up frog! This guy isn't getting any! I'm just talking him back with us to the house okay?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Why?"

"Because he… He stopped this stupid gorilla from raping me." Muttered Alice. "And the kid's an orphan with no home…"

The other woman gasped. "You were almost raped? You poor, poor girl!" She looked over at Matthew and beamed. "Thank you so much for saving her… But I doubt that our bosses will let you stay with us…"

"I'm just staying for the night." Said Matthew quietly. "My alleyway has said gorilla knocked out in it and I kind of don't want to get my face smashed in when he wakes up…"

The woman nodded. "Okay then… My name's Françoise."

Matthew smiled a little. "Matthew."

Françoise grinned. "Charmed." Quite suddenly she linked arms with Matthew and Alice, earning her a kick in the shins from Alice and a nervous squeak from Matthew. "And away we go!"

As the trio walked down the street Françoise and Alice started to chatter about nonsense that Matthew tuned out. After about ten minutes they turned down a narrow alleyway and walked through the backdoor of building. It looked like they had walked into some kind of kitchen.

Alice sighed. "Welcome to our squaller… The front of this place is a brothel and bar, any door that's painted black is a private room. Don't go in there unless there's smoke, blood or shrieks of terror leaking out of the door."

Matthew nodded. "Okay…"

Françoise happily walked over to the freezer and took out an ice pack, giving it to Alice. "That big gorilla hit you pretty hard…"

Alice sighed and pressed it to her face. "Thanks frog… I swear if I was a Tentacula I would have cut that bloody bastard a new one!"

Matthew frowned. "What's a Tentacula?"

Françoise sighed. "Tentacula… They look like normal people but they have tentacles that come out of their back… Lots of horrible rumours about them too, including the whole blood thirsty, bullet proof stuff… Rather nasty."

Suddenly a woman with brown hair, wearing an almost see-through silk dress walked in. "Hey Françoise, Alice…" She did a double take on Alice. A grin spreading across her face. "Amigo, what happened to your face? Looks like you went a round with grizzly bear!"

Alice growled. "Shut up Spanish slut!"

Françoise laughed. "Oh Carmen. Please be nice to the poor girl. She got attacked by a perverted rapist on the way home that wouldn't take no for an answer!"

Carmen gasped in shock, a look of grief and regret washing over her face. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"

"Whatever." Huffed Alice.

'_I will never understand women._' Thought Matthew to himself. '_One second they are at each other's throat and next they are saying sorry… I guess that's the infamous PMS I've heard about…_'

Suddenly Carmen jumped three feet into the air. "Christ! Who the hell is that?"

"Matthew." Said Alice. "He saved me from the stupid Gorilla so I said he could stay the night."

Carmen face palmed. "Alice… the bosses don't just do handouts!"

"If it's too much trouble I'll just leave." Said Matthew softly. He didn't want to cause these woman anymore trouble.

"Nonsense." Said Françoise. "You helped out Alice so we will help you out. Those at the bottom of society have to stick together."

"Carmen, you're in room three." A man with straight blond hair and brown eyes said as he walked into the kitchen, he was carrying a clip board and was wearing a white hat of sorts.

Carmen sighed. "Okay Tino." She walked out of the room happily.

Tino looked over at Alice and Françoise with a frown. "Where have you two been and what happened to your face, Alice?!" He quickly ran over to Alice and started to panic. "This is way we tell you not to go out and sell yourselves on the street! You get hurt really badly!" He quickly ran out of the room. "Where's the first aid kit?!"

Alice rolled her eyes and looked at Matthew. "That's Tino. He doesn't run the place, but he has the best relationship with us, so yeah… His boyfriend Berwald is a bouncer and generally makes sure that us girls don't get hurt."

Françoise nodded. "Yeah, there are three other people that work here… There's Emil that does all the finances for this place, Lukas is Emil's older brother who works at the bar and then there's Matthias… He's basically the owner. They are all good guys though, so we can't complain."

Matthew nodded. "Oh, okay…"

"We might have to talk to Lukas and Matthias if Tino calms down for a bloody second and notices you." Muttered Alice. She took the icepack off her face and put it on the counter. "Tino's a bloody mess when he's freaking out. He's such a mother hen."

A few seconds later Tino returned with a first aid kit and started to fuss over Alice. "You should go to a hospital!" He said. "You really need to take better care of yourself. You know how worried I get when you all turn up all injured!" He looked over at Matthew and jumped. "Who are you?"

Françoise put her arms around Matthew and held him close pressing the back of his head into her chest. "He's my nephew of course! I saw him walking around the red light district looking for me. My sister was a crack whore and died of a drug over dose so he tried to fine me… Poor baby needs a place to stay! I'm all the family he has!"

Matthew blushed a little, doing his best not to look too uncomfortable being held close to the Frenchwoman. "Yeah… Françoise is my Auntie…"

Tino frowned a little. "Okay… But you really should check with Lukas and Matthias… They should be in the main office."

"Are we closed for the night?" Asked Alice.

Tino nodded and smiled a little. "Yeah… Berwald is throwing the last of them out as we speak."

Alice stood up and dry swallowed some painkillers. "Brilliant. I'm going to bed… and I swear if I wake up and you're sleeping naked next to me I will slit your fucking throat frog!"

Françoise laughed. "Whatever you say…" She turned to Tino and grinned. "Matthew and I will be up to talk with the scary bosses in a few minutes. Just give them a heads up for me okay?"

"Sure." Said Tino happily. He packed the first aid kit away and walked back out of the room.

When he was gone Matthew slowly pulled himself out of Françoise's grip. "Thank you… but why did you say you were my Auntie?"

She shrugged. "Why did you say you were my nephew?" She walked over to the fridge and pouted. "Tino needs to go shopping again…" She reached inside and pulled out a thong covered in little anime puppies. "Seriously? Why is Sakura's underwear in here?" She stuffed the undergarment between her cleavage and smiled at Matthew, who was by now blushing madly. "A little uncomfortable?"

"A little…" Said Matthew slowly. "I haven't really been around many people for a long time… This is probably the longest conversation I've had with anyone ever."

Françoise nodded sympathetically. "I see. Well come on, let's go get this over with." They both walked out of the kitchen and down a hall. At the end of the hall was a grey door. Françoise walked up and knocked on the door. After a few seconds she opened the door and walked inside, followed by Matthew. Matthew looked at the two men, sizing them up a little. More than anything he was slightly terrified of men. He blamed his father for that.

One of them was sitting behind the only desk in the room with gravity defying blond hair and blazing blue eyes. He seemed rather cheerful by the way he was smiling at Françoise in a none perverted way. The second guy had lighter blond hair and a funny looking hair clip. He had a poker face on that one just couldn't decipher.

The smiling blond waved Françoise over. "Come on in! Tino said that your nephew's living with you or something? I'll assume that's him?"

"But of course, Matthias." Said the Frenchwoman. She flipped some of her hair out of her face. "I'm all the family Matthew has. He knows that I'm a whore, but he isn't one to judge. If he needs to work to earn his keep just make him go shopping and clean up the bar with Emil. I'm sure that's more than enough."

Matthias looked Matthew over and frowned a little. "Well… this place rakes in a fair bit of prophet so… What do you think Lukas? He is her nephew?"

"I honestly don't care." Said Lukas. "But how old is he anyway?"

"I'm fifteen." Said Matthew quietly.

Françoise grinned and wrapped her arms around Matthew again, pulling him face first into his chest. "He's got such a cute baby face! He looks twelve! Please let him stay! Please?" Matthew squirmed, trying to get out of Françoise's grip. He didn't like having a face full of tits.

Matthias shrugged. "As long as he doesn't perve on the other girls I'm fine with it… Do we have a spare room or something or will he have to bunk up with someone?"

Lukas looked over at Francoise and frowned. "Make sure he has a room of his own okay? We can discuss this better tomorrow when everyone's had some sleep."

The Frenchwoman gripped and pulled Matthew out of the room, pulling the thong out from in between her chest. "How wonderful, and on the way I can give Sakura back her panties!"

Matthew gulped as he was dragged along. '_That's it! I'm definitely gay! I never want another woman's boobs in my face again!_'

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Gilbert chucked. "So you got a face full of tits and decided that you're gay?"

"Yep." Said Matthew as he started to paint detail onto is bird picture. "It was one of the grossest things that's ever happened to me! Never ever, ever, ever!"

Gilbert grinned. "Okay then, so that's how you started your life there, but how did it end?"

Matthew sighed sadly. "Well… it's pretty sad what happened…"

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Yep, I'm ending it there! Mwahahahaha! Please review!


	15. Run Away

**Shinigami-cat: **Hey everyone! Sorry I left it on a cliff hanger before… But the whole thing turned out longer than I expected, so here it is… I OWN NOTHING!

**Run Away**

After about a week Matthew had gotten used to the routine at the brothel and had gotten used all the random craziness. Every Monday and Thursday he would go shopping with Tino to get food and anything else that they needed to get, every morning at eight he would help Emil and Lukas tidy up the bar. The only two things he didn't really appreciate about living there was the fact that every half hour or so he would see at least one woman flashing and the fact that Sakura liked to dress him up as a girl. It didn't help that Françoise was always there to help force him into stuff.

"Let me go!" Cried Matthew.

"Perhaps we should stop…" Said Sakura softly. "He's really against it and I don't want to force Matthew-kun if he doesn't want to Françoise-san."

Françoise laughed as she pulled the red silk dress over the blond's hair. "Nonsense! It's almost on him anyway!" In one swift motion she yanked it down over Matthew's head. The dress clung to his body so tightly he was afraid that if he moved it would rip. The only part where it was slightly loose was in the chest area. "Perfect fit!"

"I can hardly breathe in this thing!" Whined Matthew.

Sakura blushed a little and quickly took some photos with her camera. "Yes… It's a little too tight around his hips. One can clearly tell he is male, even if he does have feminine features…"

Matthew went bright red as he attempted to pull the dress down a little more. "I can't help it… Why did I agree to this in the first place?"

"Because you can't say no to the cute charms of our little Sakura." Said Françoise happily.

Suddenly Alice ran into the room wearing nothing but a towel. "What the bloody hell you fucking frog?" She snapped. "I go to have a fucking shower and you take my dress… and put it on Matthew? I will freaking kill you!"

Matthew's blush darkened significantly. Françoise on the other hand started laughing her head off. "Sorry, I thought you were going for the corset tonight."

"THE CORSET GOES UNDER THE BLOODY DRESS!" Screamed Alice as she lunged at the Frenchwoman. "I'LL MURDER YOU!"

Françoise grinned and quickly sidestepped her and grabbed her chest. "Time for a big sister breast inspection!" She cheered. Alice growled and stomped on the perverted woman's foot. This made Françoise let go and run out the door. "Your boobs are so cute and tiny!" She sang.

Alice growled and started running after her. "I'LL MURDER YOU FROG!"

When the two women were gone Matthew sighed. "Are they always at each other's throats?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes… But they are really close friends. So I guess they are used to each other… Um would you like a little help getting out of that dress?"

Matthew nodded. "Yes please… This is really uncomfortable."

Sakura smiled sympathetically and helped Matthew pull off the dress. It took a few minutes but it eventually came off no problem. Sakura folded the dress while Matthew pulled his jeans and hoodie back on. He honestly didn't mind wearing dresses for Sakura because she seemed like the sanest person there… but he did mind it when Françoise stripped him and tried to force it on him.

"I'll put the dress back on Alice's bed." Said Matthew as he picked it up.

Sakura nodded. "Okay Matthew-kun… But would you mind coming back and um…" She nervously picked up a maids dress. "Please?"

Matthew sighed. "As long as Françoise isn't in the same room."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Weeks slowly turned into months and Matthew was becoming quite happy with his new life It wasn't the best, but it was still better than anything that might have happened to him while living on the street. At the moment Carmen and Françoise had dragged Matthew along to Victoria's Secrets.

The main reason Matthew was there was because he was designated bag carrier and had spent most of the day following the two women from store to store carrying bags of clothes, shoes and underwear. He was sitting on the designated 'boyfriend/husband' chair waiting for the women to finish up.

After a few seconds Carmen stepped out wearing black and red laungire. "What do you think Matthew?" She asked happily as she spun around, revealing that she was wearing the matching thong as well.

"It's nice." Said Matthew, his face turning a little red. "But maybe go for a darker red. That light red just looks tacky."

Carmen frowned a little and looked down at what she was wearing. "… Okay amigo. I'll try something else…" She quickly walked back into the change room.

No sooner had she gone in there did Françoise appear wearing a silk padded bra with a matching thong. "What do you think?" She asked. "I do like the pattern but I don't really like the colour… I was thinking maybe getting it in a dark blue to bring out my eyes. Make them pop out."

Matthew nodded in agreement. "Yeah… But do you really need a padded bra? I mean you are… you have rather large… huge tracks of land…?"

Françoise chuckled. "That's so cute! You can't say boobs or breasts! It's that just too precious Carmen?"

"Si!" Said Carmen from within her change room. "He's almost too cute for words! You have no idea how difficult it is for me to stop myself from running out their half-naked and hugging him!"

Matthew raised an eyebrow. Not really sure how to respond to that. "Um… Thanks Carmen?"

Françoise took this moment to quickly sneak up on Matthew and hug him. "So cute! Too bad you aren't out here with me Carmen."

Matthew sighed in defeat. He had long since given up trying to stop Françoise from crushing his face into her chest. It was just something he would have to get used to. Surprisingly with the padded bra everything felt a little more firm. '_You know…_' He thought to himself. '_I bet there are a lot of guys out there that would love to be in this position._'

Suddenly Carmen burst out of her change room wearing frilly pink undies and a matching pink bra. She practically crash tackled Matthew and Françoise to the ground. "Too freaking cute!" She cried. "I couldn't stop myself!"

'_I stand corrected._' Thought Matthew. '_A lot of guys would love to be in this position._'

After the girls had made their purchases they ended up back at their home trying on their outfits and parading around. Matthew had decided to vacate to his room. All it was, was a cleared out store room with a mattress and a box for him to put stuff in. He liked it. It may have been a little grunge and he couldn't really sleep during the night, but it was still nice.

He closed the door and flopped down onto the mattress. It was almost midday, so he could get a couple of hours sleep before the drone of music, drunken people, and moaning woke him up. He yawned a little and closed his eyes, drifting into a relatively peaceful sleep.

Several hours later he was woken up to the sound of Alice knocking on his door. "Wake up lad, I need to ask you a favour."

Slowly Matthew got up and yawned. He walked over to the door and opened it, rubbing his eyes a little. "Hey Alice… What do you need?"

"I was wondering if you knew where Françoise went." She said. "She said she was going out to get some painkillers because she forgot to pick some up today… I was wondering if you could wait by the back door for her. I have to work tonight so…"

"It's fine." Said Matthew with a small smile. "I don't mind. I needed to get up anyway… what's the time?"

"About nine." Said Alice. She turned and walked back to her room to get changed into something more suitable for her job. "I'll come by in a couple of hours to see if she's back yet."

Matthew nodded and walked downstairs to the kitchen to get something to eat and to wait for Françoise to return. He was quite proud to say that the fridge was never empty and panties free since he had started living there.

He took an apple out of the fridge and ate it. He didn't really feel like making anything. When he threw the core into the bin he jumped up onto the bench and waited for Françoise to return.

As he waited the smell of beer, the sour smell of puke and something else that made his stomach turn a little started to fill the air. He didn't like it. He couldn't breathe.

Matthew sighed and stepped out the back door for a breather. There was just this odd smell that would make his nose burn and his eyes water during the night. He hated it so much, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He assumed that it might have been some perfume that was used.

He heard a strangled cry and looked over and the source of the noise. What he saw scared the hell out of him. A man was strangling Françoise while stabbing her with a knife. All at once horrid and vivid flashbacks of how Kumajiro died began to flood his memory. Pain anger and hatred started to boil through his veins. He could feel something squirm and move under his skin, threatening to break loose.

Without warning several long thin tentacles burst out of his back and cut into the man's flesh, worming their way deep inside him. After a few seconds the spread turning the man into thousands of bloody chunks. Matthew stood there in stunned shock. He had no idea he could do something like that. It made him feel sick, but it still didn't stop him from hitting the bloody chunks a few more times just for the hell of it.

The garbled whimper of Françoise made him stop. She was still alive. He ran over to her and crouched down; blood was pumping out of her gaping stab marks and her skin was sickly white.

"Françoise…" He whispered. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I can't save you… You're bleeding too heavily."

Françoise smiled a little, blood oozing from the corners of her mouth. "Stay… Don't want… to die… alone…"

Matthew nodded and held her cold hand. "I'll stay with you… I won't let you die alone." Françoise smiled a little as the life slowly started to leave her face. She closed her eyes slowly as she exhaled the final time. Tears started to fill Matthew's eyes. He couldn't believe what had happened. Prostitute or not Françoise was arguably the closest thing he had to a mother in years.

The sound of the backdoor opening made him jump and turn around. Alice was looking at him with wide fearful eyes. Matthew gulped and quickly looked at himself; he was covered in blood and he still had his tentacles out. "Alice…" He almost whispered. "It's not what you think…"

"You killed her." Said Alice. Her whole body trembled as she spoke. "You killed Françoise… Murderer… You're a murderer… A monster…"

"I didn't kill her." Said Matthew calmly as he slowly retracted his tentacles.

Alice screamed. "MONSTER! YOU'RE A MONSTER!" She ran back inside and started screaming about calling the police.

Matthew gulped. He couldn't go to jail, he wouldn't. They would find out about those other kids he murdered. He did the only thing he could do. He got up and ran. He ran as far away as he could, never looking back. Now that they knew what he was, they would hate him forever.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

"… and that's pretty much what happened." Said Matthew sadly. "I was so scared and upset I just couldn't stay there… Plus I really didn't want to go to jail."

Gilbert nodded. "Yeah, it must have been traumatizing to watch that… What did you do after?"

"Nothing special." Said Matthew as he put the finishing touches to his bird. "After Washington I used a combination of back roads, stormwater drains and trains to travel through Oregon, Nevada and Arizona… I was going to travel through New Mexico and Texes to get to Mexico and start over, but even the best laid plans can be for nothing."

"So you were going to go and live in Mexico?" Asked Gilbert. "Seems a little extreme to go through all that trouble just to start over if you ask me."

Matthew shrugged. "I guess… but I'm paranoid. I really wanted to make sure my tracks were covered. I figured it wouldn't take me too long to get there. I mean, I was only seventeen when I got to Arizona."

Gilbert shrugged. He had met lots of killers who had been paranoid. Some suffered from delusions that ranged from the government tracking their movements with microchips to believing that they were fighting the devil by killing women they thought were witches.

Matthew sighed a little and started to paint the sides of the canvas jet black to finish it off. "And I'm done."

Feliciano quickly bounded over to Matthew and grinned happily. "Wonderful! It looks so pretty Matthew. You should paint more birds. Gilbert's favourite animals are birds."

Matthew raised an eyebrow and looked at Gilbert. "Really?"

"Ja." Said Gilbert with a smile. "Birds are awesome. There's just something about them that screams awesome."

Matthew chuckled. "I guess so." He looked up at the clock and frowned. "Oh… Feliciano could you please pack up my paint stuff? I need to get medicated again."

Feliciano nodded in understanding. "Okay. Have a big sleep after you get medicated okay?"

"Of course." Said Matthew happily. He waved farewell to pair as he quickly rushed out the door.

When he was gone Feliciano sighed contently. "You're a really good influence on him."

"What do you mean?" Asked Gilbert.

Feliciano grinned as he started to pack up Matthew's art supplies. "When he first got here he hardly said anything. It was almost impossible to get a whole sentence out of him. Now he's more relaxed and I'm sure it's because of you."

Gilbert smiled a little. It was nice to think that. It might not be completely true, but it was still nice. "Hey, before he mentioned something about smelling some weird smell that made his eyes water and stuff… you know anything about that?"

Feliciano shrugged. "Well he did say he lived in a brothel for a while. Tentacula have a slightly better sense of smell than humans, but worse than most animals. We can actually smell when someone becomes sexually aroused."

Gilbert's eyes almost popped out of his head. He did not expect an answer like that. "What the fuck?"

"I know it's weird but it's true." Said Feliciano happily. "Also when we eventually… lose our virginity we can only get turned on by our mates smell when they are sexually aroused. It's really weird, but kind of cute in a way. Most Tentacula don't actually know about that yet. People are still doing research on it."

Gilbert nodded a little. '_Interesting…_' He thought. '_I don't think Matthew knows about that. If he did I doubt he would have tried to seduce me a while ago… But if he did know that just leads to more questions…_'

"Ve? Are you okay?" Asked Feliciano. "You're pulling a scary face."

Gilbert shook his head. "I'm just thinking… That's all… Well I better be going. I'll see you later."

Feliciano grinned. "Okay Gilbert. See you later."

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Finally! It took me ages to think of how Matthew's little flashback thing! At first I thought I'd kill Alice, then Sakura, then Alice again, then Tino then I settled for Françoise… Please review!


	16. DVD

**Shinigami-cat: **Hey everyone one. The last chapter wasn't as gory as I wanted it to be… Oh well who can blame me, I've been sick for a while. The stupid weather keeps changing to quickly I can't adapt. Also Françoise was the victim of a mugging… I OWN NOTHING!

**DVD**

Interested in the story Matthew had told him, Gilbert had gone straight home and looked up this murder in Washington. He was surprised to see a rather large article about it on a blog dedicated to Shredder. It was pretty well detailed for a murder about a prostitute.

Sadly murders that consisted of prostitutes, hobos, drug dealers, con men and petty criminals were never really well documented in the news. They were the undesirables of society. The ones that the world would rather turn a blind eye to. The ones that you wouldn't miss and easily forget if they just disappeared. They were usually a serial killers first kill for that reason. There were many serial killers that claimed that they were cleaning the streets of their towns by murdering prostitutes and other similar people.

It pissed Gilbert off to no end. All life was important. Anyone killed needed to have their body looked over properly for clues. If the local police didn't turn a blind eye to cases and closed them because 'They were bound to die anyway. Besides they won't be missed. They were just a whore/hobo/fucking shit head junkie'. Many, many serial killers could have been caught before they escalated or evolved.

Most people don't understand what it means when a killer escalates or evolves. They think that they start killing more brutally, more animalistic. That's devolving. Escalating is when a killer becomes bolder and moves to a higher risk target. For example it could go in an order similar to this; prostitute, pimp, single mother, strong young man, bouncer, police officer, body guard etc. Evolving involves the sophistication of a kill. One might start with a blunt object but change to a knife for concealment. Torture can also evolve. It can start as a hesitant stabbing and evolve into a professional butchering.

Devolving involves an increase in escalates and the opposite of evolution. Watching someone devolve is a terrifying experience. It's almost maddening to see a calm and collected person brutally rip someone to shreds with animalistic hunger in their eyes. It's enough to make even the bravest of men shudder in fear.

As he looked over the article he was glad to see that there were similarities between what Matthew said and what was actually there. That kind of information was always reassuring. There were two bodies found in that alleyway a young woman identified as Françoise. The other was a man whose body was mutilated so badly that he was only identifiable by the ID found in his wallet. Jonathan Creek. He was known by police as a violent mugger, often stabbing his victims if they didn't have any money on them.

There was also a short description of Matthew given by a woman called Alice. It just vaguely described what he was wearing and what he looked like. This blog was pretty good, but then there was some really weird fanart and some bazar comments.

Firstly the fanart was really good quality, well with a few exceptions but every fandom has art like that, but they all kind of looked like Slenderman's angsty, emo, bloody, pissed off teenage son. Some other ones just looked like a blond Jeff the Killer. Then there were the really bloody ones that looked similar to Matthew but were just a little too tall or and the wrong face structure. Finally there were the slightly more disturbing, in Gilbert's opinion anyway, weird fetish and gore fanart. At that point he decided to have a look at the message board to see what people on this site talked about.

They talked a little about this and that, but one thing that kept popping up over and over again was this mysterious supposed footage of the night that Matthew was caught. It was apparently a broken recording from a cop car and despite there being at least eight cars only one car had any usable footage. So many people on the site wanted to get their hands on it. They were saying how it would be the most awesome blood bath ever. Way better than that of any modern horror movie.

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Some people are just sick… Who the fuck would want to watch a bunch of people getting killed?" Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Gilbert sighed and closed his laptop. "It's open." The door opened and in walked Ludwig. Gilbert grinned. "Hey! What's up? You off work early or something?"

Ludwig raised an eyebrow. "It's seven o'clock."

Gilbert frowned and looked up at the clock he had hanging on the wall. "Oh… So it is…" He looked over at his younger brother and gestured for him to sit down. "Now not that I don't appreciate you company once in a while, but shouldn't you be getting back home to Feli?"

Ludwig shrugged and sat down in the chair next to the lounge where Gilbert was currently sprawled across. "Lovino is visiting…" Gilbert smiled sympathetically. Very few people could tolerate the foul mouthed Italian in long, drawn out sessions. As far as Gilbert knew only a handful of people could do that and most of them were his immediate family.

"So you decided to come here instead as you last resort?" Asked Gilbert. "That's pretty cold of you to leave Feliciano to deal with his brother. You know how this will end."

Ludwig shrugged. "Yeah, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. I don't really feel like being cursed out of my house after the day I've had."

Gilbert chuckled a little. "What did you do? Stab yourself with a needle full of LSD?"

"Very funny." Said Ludwig. "Matthew's straight jacket wasn't done up properly and he almost bit off a nurses ear."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "And? What happened?"

"A mass combination of sedatives." Said Ludwig calmly. "But I'm seriously starting to consider giving him a lobotomy."

"Can't do that. They don't work." Said Gilbert happily. "You'll either make him better, worse of kill him with that… Besides it's disturbing to pop a screwdriver behind someone's eye and jiggle it around for a bit in their brain tissue! That's about as effective as drilling a hole in someone's head to get rid of the devils that cause headaches."

"Ha, ha." Said Ludwig sarcastically. "I know it's both unethical and unreasonable to do such a thing, but it doesn't stop me for thinking about it."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Well if you're going to keep acting like a disturbed person I'm going to ignore you… You seriously need to stop giving him that crap if it makes him so psychotic."

"Not allowed to." Said Ludwig plainly. "All of the most dangerous murderers have to have that. It's either that or put them in an indefinite coma for the rest of their lives."

"Everything he's told me… Everyone one of his stories I don't see him as a monster. He's just a kid, a scared kid. Everything he's done he's done it for a reason. He may be a killer but he's not a murderer." Said Gilbert sternly. Ludwig sighed and took a DVD out of his pocket and handed it to his brother. "What's this?"

"Ever wonder exactly what happened when Matthew was captured?" Asked Ludwig. "This is the only salvageable footage they have of the attack. It was taken from an almost obliterated police car. Watch it and tell me that he isn't a murderer."

Gilbert frowned at the DVD, turning it over in his hands. This was the allusive footage that was mentioned on that blog. "Did Roderich tell you to give this to me?"

"Yes." Said Ludwig. "He said that you probably wouldn't listen to him anyway… Just watch it. Promise me you will and consider it a warning."

Gilbert sighed. "Fine. I'll watch it later." He honestly didn't want to, but he still had to take it to appease his brother and that stick in the mud Roderich.

Ludwig shook his head and got up, heading to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow… Just please watch that as soon as you feel like it. Just not late at night… you don't want to watch that at night for any reason."

Gilbert shrugged and put the DVD onto the table. "Fine. See you later." When Ludwig was gone he opened up his laptop and went back onto that blog. He wanted to see if there was much information on what was supposedly on it. He found nothing but a bunch of rubbish about speculations ranging from It supposedly has an image of Shredder's face to you can see him ripping into the cop like a beast.

He frowned a little and picked up the DVD, turning it over in his hands. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Did he play it and possibly become traumatized? Fuck it. He'd seem worse horror movies. He popped the DVD into his laptop and put it on the coffee table, letting it play. If it was as scary as everyone said he might drop his laptop by accident. He really didn't want to have to get another one. Too much of a hassle.

After a few seconds a window popped onto his screen. It was a simple file labelled 'Matthew'. He put the curser over the file and clicked. He had no idea what to expect. But he never expected to see the horror that was on that that simple, innocent looking DVD.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

The fuzzy pixelated image of a road came into view. The number's on the bottom right of the screen told the time. The time on the footage was about nine fifteen. A fuzzy hiss of the radio came on informing the officer that there was a disturbance at a small group of warehouses.

The footage became pixelated once again. Occasionally the footage would skip or blink out for a few seconds. It was almost like watching a handheld camera bouncing around. In the distance flashes of bright orange and red lights burst into view.

The footage cut out again and jumped right into the action. From where the car was parked it looked like it was being used as a shield. The recording jumped a little and bullets were being fired at a rapid pace. After a few seconds the noise stopped and there was silence. The whine of a megaphone cut through the uneasy quiet like a knife. "Put your hands on the ground now!"

The footage jumped again to the worst possible scenario; a headless, organless torso hit the windscreen. It slid down the window and down onto the hood of the car, covering everything it touched with blood. Screams of terror filled the area. A car exploded and a grey tentacle dragged the bloody corpse off the hood of the car and threw it.

There were screams and shouts for back up as more bullets were fired. Something struck the side of the car turning it just enough to see Matthew. He was a little pixelated but it was clear that he was crouched down close to the ground, almost like he was ready to lash out at anything that came close to him. Suddenly several of the grey appendages shot just out of view of the camera, becoming redder every time they came back into view. Occasionally dragging back an organ or sheet of skin.

He suddenly looked directly at the car that the camera was in and shot a tentacle out at it. The grinding squeal of metal reverberated around the cabin of the car as he was lifted and tossed through the air like it was nothing more than a child's play thing. The car flew through the air and hit the ground skidding across the ground. It made a satisfying crunch. With blood starting to drip down the side of the camera, it was obvious that it probably killed someone.

There were several gun shots fired before an officer came into view. He was flat on his back firing his remaining round of ammunition before a grey tentacle ripped the gun right out of his hand and cut it in half. "Stay away!" Yelled the officer as he continued to crawl away. "Back up's on the way!"

Matthew chuckled darkly as he slowly approached, his legs coming into view. "You crawl like a worm from a bird… Why the fuck should I leave scum like you alone? You assholes started this so I'm finishing it."

Suddenly he forced five tentacles into his mouth; two burst out of the man's eye sockets, one out of his left arm, one out of his stomach and one out of his chest, ripping of his heart. The muscle was tossed to the side and the eyeball junk was shaken off the other tentacles, some of it getting on the camera. Slowly the body was lifted into the air, just out of view. A sickening squelch was heard before a shower of blood, guts and body bits went everywhere covering the camera it blood, teeth and a small amount of brain tissue.

Matthew chuckled darkly. Little by little it became more frantic and crazed, almost indistinguishable from screaming and crying. "HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH YET?" He screamed. "HAVE YOU FUCKING HAD ENOUGH YET?" The recording cut out.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Gilbert shut off his laptop and popped out the DVD in record time. It was scarier than any horror movie or ghost story he had ever seen or heard of. He knew it was Matthew, but he just could wrap his head around it. How could that seemingly innocent blond be the blood thirsty killer that ripped all those people to shreds? It didn't make any sense to him.

He sighed and shook his head. "Fuck… I don't know what to believe anymore… Fuck that was scary… Way too scary… Way too… just… fuck. Ludwig was right… Matthew is a murderer." He hated admitting that to himself. Even if he was alone he didn't want to say that out loud. Yet for some reason he didn't feel like that was Matthew anymore. He didn't feel like Matthew could kill him.

All the bloodied images of those corpses kept reverberating inside his head making him shiver. They were all people. They were all once living people. Now they were dead. It was a chilling thought. He shuddered and got back onto that blog. He typed a little message on it in the comment section.

_**To all those sick bastards who want to see that fucking footage on this mystery DVD I promise you, you don't want to see it. Ever.**_

Moments later hundreds of comments started to pop up all either asking if he had seen the DVD to if he could post it. Gilbert shivered and shut down his laptop. There really were some sick freaks out there in internet land.

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **All this typing… all of it… One fucking sitting… no breaks at all… My hand is now cramping, my butt is numb, I'm hungry, I'm thirsty and my back feels like it's been hit with a hammer… This is what happens when I get an awesome idea for the next chapter in the middle of the freaking night! All day to work on this, but worth it! Please review!


	17. Blood

**Shinigami-cat: **So yeah… school actually starts back for me soon, so updates are still going to be quick, just like maybe one or two updates a week though… That's pretty much all I got to say on that matter… I OWN NOTHING!

**Blood**

Gilbert slammed the DVD down onto Roderich's desk. "What the hell is wrong with you? You sick fuck!"

"I assume you watched it then?" He asked calmly. Not even looking up from what he was doing. "Are you going to keep writing your book?"

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Of course I am! You think one bloody, jumpy, pixelated DVD is going to make the awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt turn tale and run like a pussy! Fuck no! I'm more determined than ever to finish it just so I can rub it in your fucking face!" He would not let his awesomeness get pushed around by someone as beneath him as Roderich. He was going to keep striving until he reached his goal.

"Why do you keep doing this?" Asked Roderich in frustration. "You're way too attached to this story… Well, let's face it, you're becoming attached to Matthew." Gilbert frowned at this. He didn't like what Roderich was implying. "But you have to realize that once you're done here, if you're both still alive you'll move on to a different biography and he'll stay a willing test subject."

That was it. Gilbert punched Roderich right in his prissy face. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

It was at this point in time that Elizabeth decided to walk in. She defused the whole situation by hitting the raging albino in the back of the head with a clip board. "Touch Roderich like that again and I'll make sure you get knocked out."

Gilbert growled and rubbed the back of his head as he quickly got out of that room. He decided to make his way to Matthew's room. Hopefully today he would get some answers.

What he saw when he got to Matthew's room he couldn't even begin to describe; Matthew was laying on his stomach on the floor in a strait jacket while Feliks was sitting on his back trying to undo it. "Seriously! What the hell's gotten into you lately?"

"Not my fault!" Whined Matthew. "So it was looser than usual and I ended up getting out and almost biting off that woman's ear? They didn't have to leave me in this all night! This is cruel and unusual punishment!"

"It's like cruel, but totally not unusual for you." Muttered Feliks. He looked up at Gilbert and grinned. "Like hey Gilbert. Its like been so freaking long since we like, last talked to each other. So like… What's up?"

Gilbert sighed and shook his head. "So Ludwig was telling the truth when he said Matthew tried to bite someone's ear…"

"I plead insanity." Muttered Matthew grimly.

"Shit, I chipped a nail!" Complained Feliks. He got off Matthew and sighed. "Sorry, looks like you're on your own. I'm so not going to keep helping you if your like, stupid jacket keeps doing this to my nails." He walked out the door, looking at his nails. "Gilbert's here, he can help you now."

Matthew sighed and looked up at Gilbert. "Would you mind?"

"Not really." Said Gilbert. He crouched down next to Matthew and started to undo the straps. In no time at all Matthew was out of his straight jacket and stretching is aching arms.

"Thanks Gilbert." He said happily. "It feels so good to stretch like you wouldn't believe!" He joints popped a little more before he sighed and sat down on his bed, smiling happily at Gilbert. "So what's on the agenda today?"

Gilbert sighed a little. "Well…" He felt something trickling down the back of his neck. He frowned and touched the back of his neck. He looked at the substance on his fingers and sighed. "Liz must have hit me harder than I thought. I'm fucking bleeding."

Matthew frowned and walked over to Gilbert taking his hand, looking at the blood on his fingertips. "Who's Liz? Your girlfriend? Why did she hit you? What did she hit you with?"

Gilbert shook his head. "Liz is my editor. She's also an old friend of mine… But she hit me with a clip board because I punched her prick of a boyfriend in the face." He smiled a little at that thought. It sure did feel good to attack that bastard. He really needed to do that more often. The fell of something warm and wet sweeping across the tips of his fingers pulled him out of his thoughts. Matthew was licking the blood off his fingers. "What the hell are you doing?" He snapped as he pulled his fingers away from the others mouth.

Matthew blushes and looked away. "Sorry… Lately when I see blood… I just can't help myself… You should get that head wound checked. You never know, you might get a tumour or a blood clot or something horrible like that."

Gilbert nodded in agreement. "Yeah… I guess, I'll try to find my brother…" With a slightly confused look on his face he walked out the door.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

In less than five minutes Gilbert was sitting in the medication room getting a couple of stitches. "What's the damage?" Asked Gilbert.

"Two stitches." Said Ludwig calmly. "And you say you noticed this when you were talking to Matthew? Did he do anything when you found out you were bleeding?"

"… He licked the blood off my fingertips. What's up with that? Seriously, do you know anything about that at all?" He asked.

Ludwig frowned a little. "For some reason when he first came here he was really obsessed with blood… I mean most Tentacula are fine with blood to some degree. It's weird."

Gilbert sighed and touched the stitches on the back of his head. "Yeah, but I bet they don't go around licking it up."

"Some people think that their fondness of blood is linked to their nurture part of the brain. It's kind of similar to the fight or flight response." Said Ludwig.

Gilbert frowned a little. "Explain." He was always interested to learn a thing or two about Tentacula, and he knew for a fact that it boosted his brother's ego ever so slightly when he was being all smart and teaching people stuff that they knew very little about.

"It's quite simple really." Said Ludwig. "The theory goes along the same principal as the fight or flight response. When put in a dangerous situation a person can either escape or run away. The same goes for the nurture theory. When a Tentacula sees blood they do one of three things. They; ignore, take care or kill someone depending on the amount of blood. The less blood there is the more inclined they are to ignore or take care of someone, but seeing as how they usually act on instinct they try to lick the wound."

"Like an animal trying to cover up the smell." Said Gilbert. He had watched enough animal documentaries to know that was a big reason animals licked wounds, besides general cleaning of course.

Ludwig nodded in agreement. "Ja. Most Tentacula usually show the nurturing side around the age of seventeen… But it's odd that Matthew would show this nurturing side at all, he would usually ignore or go for the kill…"

"And once again the general public is surprised that I'm still alive." Muttered Gilbert coldly. "… Have you seen what's on that DVD you gave me?"

Ludwig nodded as he started to clean up the equipment he used to stitch up Gilbert. "Everyone who has to work in close proximity to Matthew has to watch that footage. It's to make sure you actually want the job of working with him… Stop touching them." He batted Gilbert's hand away from the stitches.

Gilbert pouted a little and crossed his arms. "Fine… Matthew's really changed though hasn't he? He really isn't anything like that anymore… Apart from the times when you've given him something that's made him crazy. I thought I told you to stop testing drugs on him while I was working with him or did it slip your mind?"

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "He asked to continue. He wanted to continue taking those drugs. There wasn't any major medical problem and we were only using small doses to there wasn't any medical reason not to continue… Maybe he was just bored?"

"… He got bored so he asked to take experimental drugs?" Asked Gilbert in mild disbelief. "So he's a fucking junkie now?"

"There really isn't much to do here." Said Ludwig sadly. "After a few months everything just becomes boring and repetitive. Most of the people that stay here become really agitated trying to find an outlet."

"Depressing." Said Gilbert. "But if he's taking those drugs because he has nothing to do, let him do something! It's not that hard to figure out."

Ludwig sighed. "That's not my decision to make. Now go on, I have work I need to do."

Gilbert shrugged and walked to the door. "Whatever. See you around."

"Ja, and don't piss of Elizabeth again." Said Ludwig. "You know she'll try to murder you."

Gilbert grinned. "But that's half the fun!"

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Once he had got his stitches he ended up back in Matthew's room. He was playing 'Go Fish' with Feliks. As soon as Gilbert walked into the room though, Matthew's face went bright red. He attempted to hide his face behind his cards but failed miserably.

Feliks just laughed. "So you like, licked his fingers big f'ing deal! Do you like have any aces?"

"Go fish…" Mumbled the Canadian.

Gilbert sighed and sat down on the floor. "So who's winning?"

"Matthew is." Said Feliks. "But I'm like totally going to beat him. There's like no way I'm like letting him win."

"Any fives?" Matthew almost whispered. Feliks pouted and handed Matthew a five. The final card Matthew needed to win the game.

"This like sucks!" Cried Feliks. "I like totally should have like won! You like so rigged the game!"

"It's just a game." Said Matthew quietly, not really looking up.

Feliks pouted and quickly collected the cards, starting to shuffle them again. "Like whatever. Gilbert can play this time to like make sure you don't cheat."

"But I didn't cheat." Whined Matthew. "It's just a game of chance!"

Feliks muttered a few choice words under his breath as he handed out the cards. "Just shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up."

Gilbert picked up his cards as he looked a little sceptically at Feliks. "He really doesn't like losing does he?"

"No one likes losing." Said Matthew quietly. "Who's going first?"

"Like Gilbert can." Said Feliks as he looked over his cards in an almost critical manner. "I'm like so not going to lose this time."

Gilbert shrugged. "Okay then… Feliks, got any kings?" After several Polish curses, Feliks begrudgingly handed over a card. This continued for a while until Feliks eventually got fed up and left the room. Claiming that they were both cheating. Both Matthew and Gilbert found this hilarious.

"He'll be back eventually." Said Matthew with a small smile.

Gilbert grinned. "Ja… He is quite a character isn't he? So about before…"

Matthew blushed and looked down. "Sorry. I-I don't' know why I did that."

"It's fine." Said Gilbert. "Ludwig told me about some weird theory that's being tossed around. More random bullshit if you ask me."

Matthew sighed and started to collect the cards. "They always toss around theories. None of them usually stick around for long… What was he saying this time? What new theory have they come up with to explain the seemingly random things that I do?"

Gilbert shrugged. "Some random stuff about the brain and how when a Tentacula sees blood they either ignore it, kill whatever's bleeding or look after whatever is bleeding."

"They make us sound less human every day." Matthew snorted. "Referring to us as Tentacula this, Tentacula that. It's disgusting. They set us apart because we are different. Why not just get totally racist and talk about the way and Asian's mind works? Or an Aboriginal, or an Indian, or an African? Being called a Tentacula is just a new form of segregation and racism if you ask me."

Gilbert had never thought of it like that, but now that he thought about it he could see how true Matthew's words were. Ever since Tentacula children had appeared they weren't ever really referred to as human anymore. He even remembered logging onto or signing up to websites these days not only asked for gender but asked if one was Tentacula or human.

Matthew looked over at Gilbert and sighed sadly. "You didn't even realize it did you?"

"Sorry."

"No need to apologize…" Muttered Matthew. "No one ever really notices. There's an us and them mentality in this world… Humans and Tentacula. Angels and Demons… It's sick but true."

"It doesn't have to be true." Said Gilbert. "You yourself know that there's pretty much no difference between us."

Matthew chuckled darkly. "Just get out Gilbert. If we aren't doing an interview I don't want you anywhere near me at all."

"Well this is sudden." Said Gilbert in slight surprise. He didn't expect him to come out and say something so bluntly to him like that.

"I don't care if it was sudden." Hissed Matthew. "Get out."

Gilbert frowned and crossed his arms, planting himself firmly on the ground. "And what if I don't want to? What if I want to stay and wait until you calm the fuck down and tell me what the fuck is wrong?"

If looks could kill Gilbert would have spontaneously combusted. The look in Matthew's eyes was screaming malice and hatred. "For the last fucking time. Get out!"

Any normal or sane person would have left by now, but seeing as how Gilbert was neither normal nor sane he just glared right back at Matthew. "Make me."

Matthew's eye twitched ever so slightly. "Fine." He stood up and easily lifted Gilbert off the ground, much to the albino's surprise and dumped him outside in the hallway before turning around and slamming his door shut.

Gilbert frowned as he looked at the door. "Fine then." He muttered. "I have no fucking clue what's got his panties in a twist, but I'm not dealing with his shit." He stood up and walked down the hall.

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Yeah… Please review!


	18. Broken Pieces

**Shinigami-cat: **Well… What can I say, this is the next chapter and you're here, reading this next chapter. And I am here, weaving the alphabet into words that you the reader are reading now. I have no freaking clue as to why I'm going into such detail over the matter. Perhaps I'm trying to delay you're viewing of the next chapter, that is if you even bother to read the author's notes that is… I OWN NOTHING!

**Broken Pieces**

Matthew had met Alfred F. Jones near the end of summer when the Canadian was seventeen. He remembered the encounter quite well. Alfred quite literally fell out of the sky and landed in Matthew's lap. In retrospect the ladder Alfred was climbing down was rather rusty and unused. But if Matthew wasn't there to soften the other teens fall, he could have died.

"Dude! I'm so sorry!" Cried Alfred as he quickly jumped off Matthew and pulled him to his feet. "Are you okay? You aren't hurt are you? The hero will take you to the hospital if you need to go there!"

Matthew sighed and dusted himself off. "I'm fine… A little surprised that I was almost crushed by someone, but I'm fine."

Alfred frowned a little. "Yeah, sorry… Why are you down here anyway? My name's Alfred by the way. But you can call me the hero!"

Matthew looked over this hero known as Alfred; about the same height as him, if not a little taller, sandy blond hair with some weird cowlick that didn't seem to want to go down, bright blue eyes, glasses. They looked quite similar to each other, but they probably weren't related. Matthew had heard stories about doppelgangers. "I'm Matthew… But I'm not telling you why I'm here."

"Are you Canadian or something?" Asked Alfred. "You have a bit of an accent… A little too far south don't you think? Get lost or something?"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Fine… If you really want to know I'm a run away. I ran away from an orphanage a while ago and I've just kept running. What about you? Come down here for the panoramic views?"

Alfred grinned. "I'm a run away too… Just from a dysfunctional family. Where are you heading though? Maybe I can help you out?"

Matthew sighed and started to continue walking down the small stretch of path in the storm water drain. "I'm heading to Mexico. The country under America."

Alfred snorted. "Dude, I know where Mexico is. I'm not a complete red neck. I can help you get there if you want. I'm heading there myself."

Matthew looked over his shoulder at the American. He didn't seem like a threat, he actually seemed like a pleasant person. Perhaps a little loud, but still better than no company at all. It might be nice to have some human company again, even if it was for a short while. "Okay… But if this is going to work I want to make one thing clear."

"You make it sound like I'm joining the mafia." Chuckled Alfred. "But go on."

"I don't care what you're running away from." Said Matthew simply. "I don't care if you knocked up some chick, have debt collectors after you, got on the wrong side of some gangbangers or even have the FBI on your tail. I won't ask about your past if you don't ask about mine."

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Dude you make it sound like those things happened to you, but sure. I won't ask."

Matthew smiled a little. "Good… There's an exit up ahead to the left."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

It was weird but after a few weeks of simply traveling together through Arizona Matthew felt completely comfortable around the loud and slightly obnoxious American teen. He was just so happy and full of life. It made him question why he was running away, but he couldn't question him. That was the rule.

At the moment the pair were walking through some rather rural looking country area. There was a corn felid off to one side and a couple of warehouses off to the other side. Perhaps they were for storing farming equipment during the off season.

Suddenly Alfred grabbed Matthew's arm. "Dude! I found a place for us to stay!" Matthew followed his gaze and grinned. He was pointing towards a decrepit looking barn hidden by some trees near the corn field. It was quite far away, almost couldn't see it really.

"Looks good, but do you think anyone lives there?" Asked Matthew cautiously. He honestly wouldn't mind sleeping in the corn field. He had slept in worse places before.

Alfred chuckled and started to walk to the barn. "If it's occupied we'll just move on. Not too bad really if I do say so myself."

Matthew grinned and rolled his eyes. "Okay. But it'll be fun to sleep outside again."

"You really like the outdoors don't you?" Asked Alfred with a grin. When they got close to the barn Alfred sighed a little. "Hey Matthew? I know you kind of have this 'don't ask don't tell' thing happening, but I want to know about you. Why are you running?"

Matthew frowned. He had a feeling this might happen. "You first."

Alfred shrugged. "Okay then… My Pa was a junkie that would rather spend money on coke than on food and Ma was a drunk that chugged a bottle of booze a day. I had enough of it and just left. Pa's too off his head to notice if I'm there or not and Ma only notices me when she needs me to cart her drunken ass to the liquor shop…"

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Were you abused?"

"Been hit with a bottle a couple of times." Said Alfred. "I always wondered what would have happened if Ma had decided to go to a hospital and took some XV3."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "XV3?"

Alfred laughed. "Have you been living under a rock? XV3 is this drug that was banned like… three years ago. It like, messes up with DNA. There are like this whole generation of kids that can turn into these awesome tentacle monster things! I think they're called Tentacula."

So that's what he was. "Oh… You think it's awesome to be like that? To be ridiculed and tormented constantly by the fact that you can't control what you are? It's not awesome at all. I would give anything to be normal and not some kind of freak… Oops." He had said too much.

Alfred's jaw dropped. "You're a Tentacula?" Matthew nodded slowly, ready to run into the corn field, never to look back. "That's… That's so freaking awesome!" Cried Alfred as he grabbed Matthew and embraced him in a hug. "I can't believe you were holding out on me! That's the most awesomest thing ever! You like so have to show me some time!"

That was not the reaction he was expecting. "Eh? You're not scared of me?"

Alfred shook his head. "No way! That's too cool!"

"Really?" Asked Matthew, almost overjoyed to hear that from someone. "You think it's cool?"

Alfred grinned. "Hell yeah! You have to show me what you can do some time."

Matthew smiled a little. Alfred wasn't afraid of him. It was an amazing feeling to be accepted by another. It made him feel almost human. Almost. There was still a part of him that nagged at the back of his mind, telling him that no matter where he went and no matter what he did he was still a monster.

The barn was abandoned. Quite easy to see when they saw that the farm house next to it was nothing more than a few rotted support beams and broken tiles. The barn itself was filled with hay bales and spider webs and there was a huge hole in the roof of the barn creating a nice looking sky light.

Matthew smiled a little. "Looks nice… What do you think Al?"

Alfred shrugged. "Would be better if there weren't so many spider webs."

"I can take care of that." Said Matthew happily. He was still a little cautious about showing anyone his tentacles but he didn't mind showing Alfred a few of his smaller ones. Five very thin tentacles slowly moved from the back of his hands and started to reach up to the higher cob webs, easily sweeping them away from their place. Occasionally flattening out slightly to crush a spider that was dumb enough to try to crawl down the tentacle.

"That is so freaking awesome!" Cried Alfred as he jumped up and down a little. He was such a little kid.

"Does this really impress you?" Asked Matthew with a small smile. He looked over at a rusted bucket and quickly sliced right through it with no really effort at all. "That's really impressive."

Alfred looked like all his Christmases and birthdays had been rolled into one. "That was the coolest thing ever! How the heck do you do that? That's awesome!"

Matthew grinned and retracted the tentacles back under his skin. "I just need to thin one edge making it like a knife. I can cut through anything with enough force."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

They had been living in the barn for a few days now, almost a week. Things were actually going pretty well for once. Matthew was quite good at finding and gathering food much to Alfred's surprise. Well, Matthew had been living on the streets for longer.

There was one particular night though where the boys were craving red meat or just meat in general. Matthew had volunteered to go out and catch some rabbits that they had seen hopping around the area. Alfred thought that was an awesome idea, saying that the hero would hold down the fort while Matthew was away. The Canadian had decided to snoop around the warehouses in search of the little rabbits.

It took him a full hour and a bit to walk to the warehouses, but he didn't mind. It was relatively late in the day, but still hours away from dinner. He could take all the time he needed when it came to what he was looking for.

It took him the better half of the day to try to make several rabbit traps using scrap bits of this and that he found around the place. So far all he had made was one. If he was going to make any headway he may as well have just started to spear the little fluff balls with his tentacles. They would die quickly and he would have caught a fair few by now. The sun had started to set leading Matthew to believe that perhaps he should just go back and try finding food tomorrow.

As he turned a corner he froze. There was a parked police car just a few feet away from him. He was about to run for it when an officer spotted him. "Hey you there." He said as he got out of the car and approached the young Canadian. "You seem a little lost."

Matthew gulped a little. "N-no, I'm f-fine." He stuttered. "J-just out for a walk…"

The officer raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing Matthew's story for one second. "Really? Seems a little far out of the way to just go for a walk… besides this is private property. You shouldn't be here. Come with me, me and my mate will give you a lift back to town."

"I'm perfectly fine here." Said Matthew a little too quickly. Matthew's palms were sweaty. He knew something was up. The way that they looked at him just made him jitter a little.

Suddenly the guy in the car called the man talking to Matthew over. The man frowned a little. "Stay here kid I'll be back in a second."

As he walked over to the car Matthew started to freak out. '_Shit! Do they know who I am?_' He could see the way that the men kept looking at each other than back to him. Matthew gulped. '_Fuck it. I'm running._' He turned and ran as fast as he could.

He could hear the sound of the men shouting and even a bullet getting shot into the air, but he didn't care. He had to escape. He ended up running behind a warehouse and quickly crawled inside a hole leading him into a warehouse full of framing equipment. Hopefully if he hid here long enough they would leave.

But the whine of sirens off in the distance led him to think otherwise. He needed to make a distraction and fast. Quickly looking around he was able to see several barrels of some kind of flammable liquid, probably petrol. He quickly dashed over to the barrel and cut a massive hole in the bottom of it, spilling gallons of toxic smelling liquid everywhere. Next he needed a lighter.

He could hear the crunch of tires under gravel. The sirens were still screaming. Matthew gulped as he looked for something, anything to set the putrid liquid on fire. With much difficulty and hardship he had managed to find a box of matches with one usable match left.

Nervously he wrapped a tentacle around the match and struck it against the side of the cardboard box. Once it was lit he nervously moved as far away from the petrol as possible before he tossed the match in. He quickly crawled out of the hole in the side of the warehouse as part of it burst into flames.

Unfortunately he happened to run the place where there were several cop cars and several angry looking officers. Matthew gulped in fear as he wrapped himself protectively around himself. But that was all it took for the officers to raise their guns and shoot.

Bullets kept getting fired at him, he didn't want to fight. He just wanted to escape. He wanted to go back to the barn and forget any of this had ever happened. He attempted to completely cover himself in his tentacles in a bid to protect himself, but sadly it still didn't stop a stray bullet from grazing his cheek.

It stung horribly, like a burn. It was so painful. He was scared. He was terrified. '_I DON'T WANT TO DIE!_' He practically screamed in his mind. '_I DON'T WANT TO DIE!_'

The bullets stopped firing. "Put your hands on the ground now!"

'… _This is how it's going to be forever isn't it?_' He thought miserably. '_Kill or be killed. Hunt or hunted…'_ Something snapped in the young Canadian's mind. The nagging part of his mind was starting to take over._ 'So this is it? I'm just going to die? No fucking way! Those fucking hoseres started this! They think I'm a monster, but the true monsters are the fucking ones that kill people for no fucking reason!_'

Without even looking up he let his tentacles lash out and cut, rip and shred. Nothing could stop him from mutilating everything in his path. He had lost control but he didn't care. He wanted them to hurt. He wanted them in pain. He wanted them to feel the fear that he felt every day of his life. Yet for some reason he couldn't stop the tears of regret and sorrow from falling down his face.

Somehow during his little rampage he ended up crouching down on all fours like a beast as he watched his tentacles rip into people. Occasionally he would grab a corpse and toss it somewhere, hitting a car before lifting it back up and throwing it somewhere else.

In no time at all there were only two people remaining. He glanced over at a cop car and wrapped a tentacle around it, tossing it through the air. It made a satisfying crunch as it landed on and skidded over one of the two officers.

Matthew slowly stood up and turned to the last police officer who was still shooting at him with the last of his bullets. Tears were still falling uncontrollably down Matthew's face. '_Why don't you run?_' He thought. '_Why can't you just run away from me?_' Slowly he approached the officer. Using a tentacle he grabbed the gun out of his hand and cut it in half.

"Stay away!" Yelled the officer as he continued to crawl away, fear present in his voice and more so in his eyes. "Back up's on the way!"

Matthew chuckled darkly, stopping a few feet away from the man. "You crawl like a worm from a bird… Why the fuck should I leave scum like you alone? You assholes started this so I'm finishing it."

Without even blinking he shoved five tentacles into the man's mouth. The grey appendages wormed their way deep into the core of his body; two burst out of his eye sockets, one from his left arm, one out of his stomach and one out of his chest, ripping out the man's heart. Matthew tossed the muscle to the side and shook the eye gunk of the other two. He raised the officer's corpse slightly into the air and twisted his tentacles around in both a clockwise and anticlockwise direction. The result was similar to that of a blender. Completely ripping the corpse to shreds.

Then there was silence. There was always the silence. He had to do something, anything to break that awful silence. He started to laugh. It started off low and dark, like a chuckle, but it evolved into a frantic howling scream as he threw is head back. "HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH YET?" He screamed at himself. "HAVE YOU FUCKING HAD ENOUGH YET?" Only the chirp of crickets responded. "HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH BLOOD? YOU DISGUSTING AND FILTHY MONSTER?"

Nothing. Not one human voice could answer him. They were all dead. All because of him. Matthew wiped the tears away from his face. His heart was beating fast, too fast. All the blood, all the corpses, all the hatred just seemed to jab at him. He didn't mean to lose it. He thought he was in control. He thought that he could control the monster inside him. But he was wrong. That thing would keep lashing out and attacking when he least expected it to. He just needed to accept it now. He was now and always would be a monster.

Matthew gulped. '_Shit, he said backup was coming didn't he? I have to get out of here._' He quickly ran away from the bloody scene and towards the corn field. He didn't pay any mind when he tripped over falling into the dirt. All he wanted to do was get out of there as fast as he could. With his speed he easily and quickly made it back to the barn without much effort.

He quickly looked over himself; blood dotted his hoodie and his pants, but not enough to make it too noticeable. But for safety he would have to dispose of his clothes soon and find some cleaner ones. Possibly disposing of his clothes into the nearest body of water or burning them would be a good idea. No evidence. No DNA. No trace.

Matthew slowly pushed open the rickety door to the barn and closed it. "Hey Alfred, I'm back… Had no luck getting food though."

"That sucks!" Whined Alfred from his spot on the hay bale. He looked down at Matthew and gasped in shock. "Dude! What the hell happened to you? You're covered in blood!"

Matthew bit his lip nervously. How could he say that he had murdered about a dozen cops less than an hour ago? He couldn't. He looked up at Alfred and smiled a little. "I got into a bit of trouble trying to get dinner you see, I set a trap or two for some rabbits but I set the traps too well… They kind of ended up in half… Wouldn't have been a problem if some feral dogs didn't come sniffing by. I just used my tentacles to defend myself and… Well the result speaks for itself... And I kind of ran into a tree and I got this." He gestured to the cut he got from where the bullet grazed his cheek.

"Yeah…" Alfred didn't seem too convinced with that answer, but let it slide. "Did you hear those sirens before?"

Matthew nodded. "Yeah… That's part of the reason I came back. Not too comfortable around people with guns."

Alfred sighed and jumped down, his shirt ripping slightly on a nail sticking out of a wooden support post. "Damn it."

Matthew chuckled. "I guess we should try to find some more clothes in a few days… Winter is coming."

"Yeah, too true." Said Alfred with a small smile. He walked over to Matthew looking over the smaller blond's appearance. "So none of that is your blood?"

"I have a few scratches on my hands, but it's nothing to worry about." Said Matthew happily. He walked over to a pile of hay and flopped down onto it, relaxing. He just wanted to forget all about what had happened.

"Well… as long as you're sure." Alfred frowned a little, but didn't press the subject. A chilling wind blew through the barn. Chilling the less acclimatized of the two to the bone.

"You cold or something?" Asked Matthew.

Alfred shook his head. "I'm fine… Just not really used to all this colder weather…"

Matthew rolled his eyes and took off his hoodie, leaving himself in his shirt. "Here, I'm used to the cold. If you end up getting sick we'll be stuck here for a while."

"Thanks." Said Alfred as he pulled on the hoodie. It was rather large on his frame, even for him. "Dude, why do you need such a freaking huge hoodie?"

"I sometimes wrap my tentacles around myself when it gets too cold or for mild comfort." Said Matthew simply. He yawned and snuggled into the hay. It scratched and dug into his skin a little, but it was nice to sleep on a relatively soft surface. "It feels nice to be held by someone…"

Alfred frowned a little and sat next to Matthew. "So you've never actually met you parents ever?"

"Not once." Muttered Matthew. "My mama's dead and the other one buggered off when I was just born… I wish I could remember my mama…"

Alfred smiled a little and ran his fingers through Matthew's hair. "I'm sure she would have loved you if she was still alive. I mean seriously, you're an amazing person. Everything about you is just… cool. I seriously think the tentacle thing is really awesome."

Matthew chuckled a little. "I know you think it's awesome. But I still hate it… because of these things my life has been hell. Go to sleep Alfred."

"Fine." Said Alfred. He leaned back and rested head against the hay. He sighed as he looked up through the hole in the roof of the barn. "Hey Mattie."

"Yeah Alfred?"

"You ever think we'll find a better life?" He asked. "I mean, we might end up in different states, different cities, and different ends of the world even… but do you think we'll ever settle down, have jobs or get married eventually?"

Matthew frowned. He never really gave much thought into ever really settling down anywhere. He just wanted to keep moving. After all it seemed like that was the only life he could have. But Alfred, Alfred could do all those things if he really tried. "Yeah, I'm sure if we try we can do it… If you could live anywhere, where would it be?"

Alfred frowned a little. "Well… If I could I would want to live on the coast line of some tropical island… I'd love to learn how to spear fish. Catch my own dinner every night and take it back to cook up… What about you? Where would you live if you could?"

Matthew shrugged. "I don't know… Maybe somewhere in the forest. I've always liked the whole privacy thing that comes with the territory of those large yet secluded places."

Alfred chuckled a little. "Sounds fun."

"Go to sleep." Mumbled Matthew.

"Fine, night Mattie." Said Alfred as he rolled onto his side.

Matthew smiled a little and took off his glasses. "Night Alfred."

It didn't even seem like he had been asleep for five minutes before the sound of the barn door being knocked off its hinges echoed around the barn. Matthew jumped up and quickly put on his glasses while gripping Alfred's arm. The red laser dots randomly scattered around his and Alfred's body clearly indicated that these guys meant business.

Matthew gulped. '_Shit! Why did they have to call in the SWAT team? I should have just run away instead of staying here. Alfred doesn't need to get caught up in this shit!_'

Alfred rubbed his eyes as he focused on what was happening. "What the fuck? Dude, am I dreaming?"

"No Alfred." Whispered Matthew quickly, shaking slightly. "Shit, they're going to kill me. They are going to freaking kill me."

"You in the hoodie. Get up." Barked one of the men. All of the red laser dots were pointed at Alfred's chest.

'_Shit!_' Thought Matthew in a panic. '_They think Alfred's the one that… Oh shit!_'

Alfred frowned and slowly stood up. The tension in the air was so thick that someone could cut it with a knife. Alfred must have done something or moved in a certain way because several seconds later several gunshots rang out shattering any and all silence that was in the place. Alfred didn't even make a sound as he fell to his knees, blood oozing through his clothes as he leaned forward and curled up onto the floor.

Matthew just sat their shaking. '_Why?_' He thought. '_Just why? Everyone one I've ever cared about just dies. Alfred didn't have to die… They were looking for me… They were looking for…_'

"Matt…" Gurgled Alfred.

Matthew gasped and quickly moved to Alfred's side. "Alfred! Don't worry I'll get help! Just please stay alive." He looked up at the officers with tears in his eyes. "He's not the Tentacula, I am! Please, you have to get him to a hospital! I'm the one you want! I'll go with you willingly, but you have to save him! Please!"

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

"After that I was taken here and I was told that Alfred died on the way to hospital." Said Matthew sadly. "If it wasn't for me, he would still be alive. As it turns out, Nightingale has been trying to find me ever since the incident at the brothel with Françoise…"

Gilbert frowned a little. There was one thing about his account that didn't add up. "Alfred… as in Alfred F. Jones?"

Matthew nodded. "Yeah, Alfred F. Jones… If he was still alive I'd tell him how sorry I am."

To Gilbert one part of the Canadian's story didn't add up at all. '_But Alfred is still alive…_'

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Oh the drama! Oh the humanity or lack of it anyway… Please review!


	19. Alfred's Story

**Shinigami-cat: **Alfred had better cough up some answers here or I swear some heads are going to roll… I OWN NOTHING!

**Alfred's Story**

Gilbert stood outside Roderich's office door. He wanted to go in there and ask about Alfred, but he was pretty sure he wasn't going to get anything from the brunet after he punched him in the face. He still had to try though. He slowly opened up the door and looked inside and did his best to refrain from laughter. Roderich looked like he was in the recovery stage of a nose job. "Hey there Roddy."

"If you don't want to get kicked out of this building I want you to leave right now and never grace me with your obnoxious presence again." Said Roderich coldly.

Gilbert took this as an invitation to walk in. "Sorry about that… But I really didn't appreciate what you were talking about… But anyway I need to ask you something important about Matthew."

Roderich raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening. What's this about?"

"Well I needed to clarify something rather important." Said Gilbert. He sat down in a chair across form Roderich's desk. "You see, Matthew was talking about a boy he met when he was younger and I know the report said that he was found in a bloody corpse in a warehouse… but he claims that he was in a barn when he was found…"

Roderich frowned. "A minor detail. That can be fixed."

"Yeah, but the dead guy that was found with Matthew is actually alive." Said Gilbert. "I mean, I get coffee from him every day. How the hell could you say someone's dead when they are still alive? That's a pretty big mistake if you ask me."

"I see…" Muttered Roderich. He opened up a drawer in his desk. He pulled out a document and passed it to Gilbert. "Read this and sign it."

Gilbert frowned as he quickly glanced over the document. "Fuck no." He growled. "I'm not fucking signing anything."

"It's just a little something to say that any information you've obtained regarding Matthew can be changed by the Nightingale company if we so wish." Said Roderich calmly.

"Then double fuck no." Growled Gilbert darkly. "Why don't you just go fuck yourself already? I'm never signing some bullshit like that. Now fucking tell me why Matthew thinks Alfred's dead!"

Roderich sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Gilbert… Details about that particular event had to be changed for protection purposes… If you don't believe me go ask Alfred yourself. Cut out the middle man and just talk to him."

Gilbert frowned. He didn't want to admit it but Roderich had a point. "Fine I'll fucking talk to him." He muttered.

"Good." Said Roderich. "So you've pretty much finished with your book, right?"

Gilbert nodded. "Ja, that's right… Why do you ask?"

"Have you forgotten about the trial run?" Snapped Roderich darkly. "In a few days from now they'll ask you if you are willing to look after Matthew for twenty four hours. If you say yes and agree you are going to die! He is going to murder you and attempt to escape, but they are going to shoot him! You are both going to die!"

Gilbert rolled his eyes. From everything Matthew had told him he assumed that he would be safe. Matthew only attacked when he was threatened or saw something particularly brutal. "I'll be fine. Stop getting your panties in a twist." He muttered. "I'm not going to do something stupid."

Gilbert got up and left the room. He didn't want to deal with Roderich when he was talking about Matthew like he was a monster. Matthew wasn't a monster. He was just a kid. A scared kid. He knew Matthew was more than capable of taking care of himself, but he still wanted to protect the teen from what was out there.

He blushed a little at that thought. '_What the hell am I thinking? If anything I would need to be protected from him… But he isn't dangerous! He's just a kid! Fuck it all. I'm going to get a coffee._'

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Gilbert sighed a little to himself as he sat in his normal café. Waiting for Alfred to serve him again. While he was waiting for the American he wondered how he could bring up the subject of Matthew. He could be subtle over a long period of time… or he could just come out and demand that Alfred tell him everything. Gilbert was awesome though and he hated being subtle about anything. He preferred to just go straight for the gusto and demand his answers.

Almost as if on cue Alfred walked over with a pen and note pad in hand. "Hey dude, what can I get you today? Another coffee?"

"Yep." Said Gilbert happily. "You know how I like my coffee."

Alfred grinned happily and quickly walked off to the espresso machine. In less than five minutes Alfred was walking back with the cup in his hand. He put it in front of the albino and pressed his pen against his note pad. "Want anything else?"

Gilbert shrugged. "Not really… maybe a little later… How's your day been?"

"Up and down." Said Alfred honestly. "I swear I've burnt myself about five times on the pie oven."

"Sounds fun." Said Gilbert as he picked up his coffee. "By the way, do you happen to know anyone called Matthew Williams?"

"Nope." Chuckled Alfred nervously. "You want any cake or something sweet? The chef's trying his hand at making all these new pastries and-"

"Funny." Muttered Gilbert. "Because Matthew seems to remember you…"

"Not in the mood for something sweet? How about something savoury?" Asked Alfred in mild panic. "Chicken sandwich perhaps?"

"… But you know what the really funny thing is?" Asked Gilbert maliciously. "Matthew thinks that you're dead."

Alfred gulped and quickly looked around the café. "Look… I'm off in ten minutes and then I have half an hour until my next job. Come with me back to my apartment and I'll tell you what happened… Just not now. I like this job."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "Okay then… You better not try to run off straight after your shift is up."

"I won't." Mumbled Alfred as he turned and went back to serving some people for the last ten minutes. Once his shift was up he walked into the back room to put his apron away. When he came back he went back to where Gilbert was sitting. "Ready to intrude on one of the most secret parts of my life?"

"I'm a biographer." Said Gilbert with a small grin. "That's what I do."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

As they walked back to Alfred's apartment Gilbert decided to clarify a few bits of information. "So Matthew told me that your dad was on crack and your ma was an alcoholic. That true or bullshit?"

Alfred frowned. He was staring intently at the ground as they walked. "Yeah, it's true… I finally decided to leave when my Pa was so high he almost drank bleach and my Ma started to beat me with a shoe because she thought I was drinking her booze." He huffed a little at those bitter memories. "I just though, fuck it. If they want to poison themselves and drink themselves stupid it's not going to be my problem. I packed whatever I had and took off."

"Must have been harsh growing up there." Muttered Gilbert.

Alfred shrugged. "I guess, but that's just how things were for me. All I can say is at least I'm attempting to finish high school… I go to night school about three times a week when I can."

"Holy shit." Said Gilbert. "How the hell are you still functioning? You work like a dog and you still go to school?"

Alfred laughed a little. "Yeah, but I find energy drinks help a lot… and I don't work on Wednesdays so I basically crash and sleep through the whole day. It's the only time I can really relax."

He turned and walked into a rather rundown looking apartment complex. It looked really cheap. Cheaper than most really. The white paint on the walls was turning yellowish brown with discolouration and there seemed to be some kind of insect nest building up on the door frame. It was probably a health code violation.

When they started to walk up the steps one of the doors on the bottom floor opened up and a man with messy blond hair and huge eyebrows poked his head out and glared at Alfred. "Jones, where's the rent?"

Alfred grinned a little as he looked back at the man. "Sorry Arthur, I'm going to have to pay tomorrow. I don't get payed until then."

"That's what you said yesterday you bloody git." Snapped Arthur. He did not look amused. "If you keep missing the rent you're going to have to find a new place to live."

Alfred's cheery expression dropped into an expression that resembled a kicked puppy. "But I'm doing my best… I can't keep asking my bosses for an advancement on my pay… Please Iggy? Just wait one more day? Please?"

Arthur growled a little. "Fine. But you better bloody have it tomorrow or you're out, and stop calling me Iggy!"

"Thanks Iggy!" Cheered Alfred, his expression changing back into its usual happy one. "You're the best!"

They continued up the steps and as soon as Arthur was out of ear shot Gilbert just had to ask. "That's the guy you're crushing on?"

Alfred blushed a little. "Yeah. But he hates me… I've tried to get him to like me, but I can't pay the rent on time and I'm so tired after everything I just sleep in my room. I haven't even watched TV for three weeks in a row." Soon they were at Alfred's apartment. With a heavy sigh he opened the door. "Make yourself at home." Said Alfred as he walked inside. "I need to change uniforms, but I'll be back in a second."

Gilbert nodded and looked around the room. "… Interesting place you got here."

Alfred's apartment was much smaller than Gilbert's by a long shot. There were plates and dirty dishes everywhere, several pizza boxes stacked three feet high and chipped yellow paint flaked off the walls. Everything about Alfred's home was messy. That is everything expect from the bottles on the coffee table.

Rows of bottles lined his coffee table, filled with hundreds of different pills. There were some small resalable plastic bags labelled with different days. It was like walking into the medication centre of an old folk's home. Alfred walked over to the coffee table and picked up a bag of pills before walking into his room to change into his next uniform.

When he was gone Gilbert looked over the table and checked out the medication. Most of it was to do with pain and blood regulation, but there were a few pills that were there to lower someone's immune system and some pills to clot blood. It was weird.

After a few minutes Alfred came out in his next uniform with a hand full of pills. He tossed them into his mouth and dry swallowed. He looked over at Alfred and sighed. "So… What do you want to know?"

"Matthew told me you died on your way to hospital." Said Gilbert with a frown. "Why are you still alive? Why didn't you tell me you knew Matthew?"

"I did die on my way to the hospital." Muttered Alfred. "I technically died seven times. Three times in the ambulance and four times under the knife for one minute each time… The doctor said I was lucky to be alive. I got twenty seven times. Not one hit anything too major." He frowned a little as he opened up a bottle and started to count out some pills. "After everything I was visited by some people from Nightingale… They said as long as I keep quiet about what happened they would pay for my hospital bill and half of all the medication I need after. I still need three jobs to scrape enough together to just pay for everything and the rent." He dry swallowed the pills in his hand.

"Shit man…" Said Gilbert. "I had no idea…"

Alfred shook his head. "It's fine… But you can't tell Matthew I'm still alive… If you saw the look on his face when he was begging them to take me to a hospital… And since he thinks I'm dead, it's only going to be worse for the both of us…"

Gilbert frowned a little. "But Matthew blames himself for what happened. He just wants to say he's sorry."

Alfred shook his head as he quickly picked up a few more bottles, reading over what they were called. "Well… no offence to him, but it kind of is his fault that I'm like this. But I guess I can't really blame him, I mean I would be scared shitless too if the SWAT team was after me."

Gilbert nodded a little. "Yeah, but he's been living in guilt because of what happened pretty much his whole life."

Alfred shrugged and took some green and red pills out of a bottle and quickly dry swallowed them. "Sorry Gilbert, but it's not my problem. Never was." He looked at the clock and sighed. "Dude, I really need to get going. Lock up on the way out." With that Alfred quickly grabbed a bottle from the coffee table and took out two purple pills, dry swallowing again before he quickly dashed out the door.

Gilbert just stood there in stunned silence. He finally understood why Alfred was always short on cash, his medication was way too expensive for him to afford. At least the fat cat's at Nightingale were being generous in paying for half of it all. Though, if they really cared they would have payed for everything.

He sighed and left Alfred's place, closing the door behind him making sure it was locked. As Alfred requested. He walked down the steps still in a state of shock, not really paying much attention to what was going on around him, but Arthur's gruff voice brought he back into reality.

"You're a friend of that git right?" He asked.

Gilbert frowned a little as he looked at the grumpy young man. "What's it to you?"

"Honestly, nothing." Said Arthur. "Just make sure he pays tomorrow. I'm tired of chasing him up about it."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Look buddy, Alfred has a lot on his plate at the moment so calm down. He'll pay when he can."

"Bloody hell. Don't give me that crap." Growled Arthur. "I've seen it all. What is he? A recovering junkie? He's bloody acts like a zombie half the time."

"Far from it." Hissed Gilbert. He hated that Alfred was having a hard time over something as stupid as rent. "If you don't believe me why don't you check and see for yourself? I'm sure you have a master key to every room. So why don't you trot up to his room, see what's on the coffee table and do a little research about what you find on it. You stupid fucking idiot."

Arthur looked like he was going to blow a fuse, so before he exploded Gilbert quickly walked out the door and back onto the street. More than likely Arthur wouldn't go in there, but on the off chance that he did Gilbert really hoped that he would actually have a look at what all those pills actually did.

But now wasn't the time to really think about that. Now that he knew why Matthew thought Alfred was dead he needed to think about the whole 'trial run' situation. Matthew wouldn't kill him. He was more than sure of that. He would bet his own life on it, which he might have to do.

He wasn't sure what made him so sure, but he was. It was some weird gut feeling that he had when he knew he could trust people. He had similar feelings with his brother and his friends, but this was stronger. This odd feeling just seemed to go way deeper than trust.

He shook his head a little, trying to rid himself of those thoughts. '_Fuck… I've become too attached to him. I don't want this. I guess if I want I could just say no and just let it move on… or even just say I've decided to stop writing the biography… But fuck it all I want to see him again! I have to see him again_' He growled a little to himself as he realized what was happening to him. '_Fuck… Francis won the bet. I owe him five hundred dollars…_'

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **And there you have it… Screw it, I'm tired, I'm going to sleep. Please review!


	20. The Coming Storm

**Shinigami-cat: **Well… I don't really have much to say here… I OWN NOTHING!

**The Coming Storm**

Matthew's 'trial run' was happening in a few days. Gilbert, being the optimist he was, whole heartedly agreed to be his handler and watch over him for twenty four hours. Roderich still called him a fool and took every opportunity to try and talk him out of it.

"This is a very bad idea." He said.

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "I don't care. Did Liz email you the last chapter?" He couldn't care less about what the man in front of him had to say anymore.

"Yes I did." Said Roderich. He sighed a little. "You know you're going to die right?"

"You don't know that for sure." Snapped Gilbert. "Matthew is not a killer. He's not going to kill me for no freaking reason!"

"You're the only thing that stands between him and freedom." Growled Roderich. "Isn't that reason enough?"

Gilbert huffed and crossed his arms childishly. "He's not going to kill me."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

"I'm so going to murder him." Muttered Matthew quietly to himself. Ever since he found out that he was being given a trail run he had been thinking about several different ways to murder Gilbert. Most of which involved a knife and disembowelling.

He couldn't help but get giddy with excitement over it all. He wanted to kill him somewhere quiet and private. He also didn't want to damage his face too badly or his chest. He had thought about cutting him just above his pelvis making his guts fall out, but he would be alive for about four hours afterwards. He wanted the kill to be quick.

'_Oh I know! I'll try to poison him!_' He thought happily. '_I'll poison him and drain him of his blood… I'll drain his blood in a bath tub. May as well take out his organs while I'm at it… I've heard rumours that all animal organs taste the same but the meat is different, wonder if it's true…_' He shook his head. '_No. I'm not going down the path of cannibalism. Save that for if I'm starving to death._'

A million different scenarios were passing through his head about how to commit this murder. He was getting way too excited about this. He had never really cared much for murder or death, but he decided that he may as well get used to it considering he felt as though he would always be known as a monster.

That's how he got into those biographies that Gilbert had written. They were just so detailed and perfect in every way to him. He loved it. He loved the detail and lack of detail. All of it was just a beautiful fusion of horror and fact. It made him giddy just thinking about it.

"Like what's with that face?" Asked Feliks curiously as he walked into Matthew's room and sat next to him on his bed. "It like, so look like you're having a little fantasy about a certain albino… if you know what I mean."

Matthew rolled his eyes and hit Feliks with his pillow. "I might be thinking about Gilbert but I'm not thinking about sex this time."

Feliks grinned. "So you like are totally thinking about having sex with him sometimes?"

Matthew's eyes went wide with shock and his face turned a dangerous shade of red. "W-what? N-no! I didn't mean that!" He picked up his pillow and buried his face in it. Somehow thinking that maybe, just maybe he would disappear into darkness.

Feliks just laughed at his friend and slapped him on the back. "I'm like joking. But seriously, what were you thinking about that was like making you look like someone told you Christmas was like early this year?"

Matthew slowly looked back up at Feliks, still blushing madly. "K-killing Gilbert… Thinking about w-where and how… Don't judge me!"

"Like seriously?" Asked Feliks with a small frown. "You still want to kill him?"

Matthew nodded. "Yeah… I mean if I don't kill him I'll just get put in a boarding house for a few years and they'll give me some job bagging groceries at a supermarket until I die. I don't want that. If I kill Gilbert I'll have a few hours before they notice I'm gone." He smiled and sighed contently. "He'll make a beautiful corpse…"

"Wonderful." Muttered Feliks bitterly. "He's into necrophilia."

"EH?" Cried Matthew in shock. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! Just no! Bad Feliks! That's just nasty!"

Feliks chuckled a little. "I'm like joking! You take things way to seriously!"

Matthew pouted and crossed his arms. "Not cool Feliks. Not cool at all." He really hated it when Feliks just went on and on like that.

"Whatever." Said Feliks with a grin. "Anyway, I really don't think you should kill Gilbert. He seems pretty awesome and you two like get along so well. It's almost like you two were made for each other."

"I don't have a choice." Hissed Matthew bitterly. "What part of my whole little speech about how if I don't kill him I'll never really be free thing did you not understand?"

Feliks frowned and looked down at the floor. "Matthew… you like can't keep living like this. You need to find something to hold onto besides all this hate you have for him… I like think Gilbert might be that something you desperately need."

Matthew chuckled and shook his head. "What I desperately need is for this to end. I don't need Gilbert. He's simply an obstacle in my way. It'll be easy to kill him."

"Kill, kill, kill…" Muttered Feliks. "You didn't used to be like this at all."

"It's my only chance!" Cried Matthew. "I've already hurt and killed so many people, what's one more? Nothing, that's what."

"But you like, like him." Whined Feliks. "I like see the way you look at him! I see the way you act around him! You like him! You can't just kill off someone you like! That's like so not cool!"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Well I don't like him… Not like that anyway… Let's just change the subject. I heard a rumour that you're leaving in about a week. Is that true?"

Feliks grinned and nodded happily. "Yep! I still like have to come back like every few days so they can like slowly wean me off the medication. But like apart from that I can move in with Toris! It'll be like so awesome! I like so can't wait!"

Matthew smiled. He was happy for Feliks. He deserved to be happy. Matthew honestly felt that Feliks had a worse life than him. "You deserve happiness Feliks. I'm glad for you."

"You deserve to be happy too." Said Feliks sadly. "You deserve it more than anyone…"

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Gilbert sighed a little as he sipped his coffee. Things were just going from strange to stranger. He couldn't help it, but things just felt a little off to him these days. It wasn't really a bad feeling really, just one to make him feel a little cautious.

Almost as if to bring him out of his uneasy state Alfred appeared out of seemingly thin air with a huge grin on his face. "Dude, whatever you said to Arthur the other day was perfect! He's stopped bugging me about the rent!"

Gilbert smiled a little. "Awesome. I'm glad things worked out for you."

"Yeah, he said to just pay when I can. It's awesome!" Alfred was positively glowing with pure joy.

Gilbert had never seen the American this way before. '_I guess Arthur did what I told him to do. Awesome. Maybe Alfred's life will be a little less stressed now… or at least he won't be too stressed about money now._'

"So you want anything to eat?" Asked Alfred happily. "You've had nothing but coffee from here for weeks. I'm starting to think you live off the stuff."

Gilbert sighed a little. "I want you to talk to Matthew."

"Not going to happen." Said Alfred quickly. "Look, I can't face him… Not now. I kind of just want to forget that part of my life and move on. I'm sure he wants to do the same thing too."

"But he can't move on." Said Gilbert. "He's too wrapped up in his guilt to forgive himself… Everyone close to Matthew has died a horrible death. His mother was a rape victim, his best friend who happened to be a bear was beaten to death in front of him, one of the women that took him in was stabbed to death in front of him and he thinks that you died too. Do you have any idea what kind of trauma he's been through? He probably thinks he's a bad luck omen!"

Alfred frowned a little. "Well be that as it may… I'm still not comfortable with meeting him… I mean he was told that I was dead."

"Why did you even agree to that?" Asked Gilbert curiously. If Alfred and Matthew were such close friends there shouldn't have been any reason why they wouldn't want to see each other.

Alfred nervously bit his lip. "Look, I'm scared. I'm afraid of him… I'm afraid of what he might do to me if he knew I was alive. He might kill me for breaking off contact with him."

"He won't kill you for no reason." Said Gilbert sternly. "Look, in a few days Matthew is going to have this thing called a trial run where he's allowed out for a day. I might bring him here so I thought I'd just warn you."

"Any specific day?" Asked Alfred nervously. "I really don't want to be here when he is."

"Nope. It's a surprise." Said Gilbert with a smirk. "You won't know when and you won't know where or even if we'll turn up at all."

"Not cool man!" Whined Alfred.

Gilbert chuckled and put some money on the table. "That's just how I roll. See you later and good luck with Arthur." He quickly drank the last of his coffee and walked out of the café. He really wanted to bring Matthew and Alfred back together. They were good friends. They deserved to stay friends.

He was soon back at his apartment sitting in his lounge room with his laptop resting on the arm of the couch while Elizabeth was glairing daggers at him. "What the hell do you mean you agreed to be Matthew's handler during his trial run?" She snapped.

Gilbert poked out his tongue. "My choice. They asked. I said yes. End of story."

"But this is bad!" Cried Elizabeth. "He'll kill you! You can't die! You're my top client! Who will rake in as much money as you? No one! That's who!"

"Gee Liz, and here I was thinking I was more than a pay check to you." Muttered Gilbert. He was looking up images of lol cats. Though he did wish the idiots that wrote the fucking captions would write it in English instead of Derp Derp Herpy Derp.

"You one of my closest friends, Gil!" Snapped Elizabeth. "I don't was to see you getting hurt or killed by that thing."

"Call him a thing one more time and I will throw you out the window." Said Gilbert in an oddly chilling, yet calm voice.

Elizabeth frowned a little. "Okay, be honest with me Gil, do you have feelings for Matthew?"

Gilbert blushed a little. "Yeah… But it's not affecting my choice okay? I just kind of like him."

"I hope for your sake you know what you're doing." Muttered Elizabeth coldly. "I don't want to come knocking at your door one day and have to scrape you off the walls… That is if I can even find your body at all…"

Gilbert sighed. "A Frenchman once told me that love is giving someone the ability to destroy you, but trusting that they won't. I trust Matthew with my life. He's not a killer."

"It's your funeral." Grumbled Elizabeth. "… Are you looking at lol cats again?"

"… No." Said Gilbert slowly. Elizabeth slammed Gilbert's laptop shut, catching his fingers. "MOTHER FUCKER!" Yelled Gilbert as he pulled his fingers out to inspect the damage; they were going to bruise. "WHAT THE FUCK LIZ?"

Elizabeth huffed and crossed her arms. "You never take anything seriously. You have no idea what kind of danger you're putting yourself in. Matthew is dangerous! You're just too blinded to see it!"

"Get the fuck out of my house." Snapped Gilbert. "Get the fuck out of here and don't bother to fucking show your fucking face here again until Matthew's trial run is over!"

"I can't believe we're arguing about this!" Cried Elizabeth in shock. "We've been friends since we were still in dippers and you're going to throw that all away for a Tentacula?"

Gilbert glared at her. "I'll give you one more chance to get out of here before I call the cops and have them drag you out."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and stood up, doing her best to restrain herself from beating the crap out of Gilbert. "Fine." She growled. "I'll leave and come back when you've started thinking straight again!" With that she stormed out of Gilbert's apartment in a rage. The next person she saw was probably going to get punched in the face.

When she was gone Gilbert huffed and opened up his laptop again. '_What the fuck does she know?_' He thought. '_Matthew isn't going to kill me. Why does everyone think that? He wouldn't kill anyone intentionally. He's not like that… I know he isn't… Shit, I really shouldn't have yelled at Liz._' He chuckled a little and leaned back against the back of his couch. '_What the fuck is he doing to me?_'

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Matthew sighed a little. He had been thinking over what Feliks had said about Gilbert being what he needed. '_I don't really need him do I? He's just another human that's interested in weird animals…_' He thought back to when Gilbert had helped him when he had a bladder infection and blushed. '_He was just being nice to me because he wanted to tell him more about myself… Fuck I miss him so much._'

He sniffled a little, unable to stop the tears that were starting to form in his eyes. "Damn it… Fucking medication. I fucking hate it so much!"

Try as he might to blame the medication for his sudden change in mood he knew it was probably something deeper than that. He was genuinely starting to regret his decision to murder Gilbert. But he kept telling himself he had no choice. Even if he was going to be forced to run for the rest of his life he needed to do this. It was his only chance to be free again.

'_I'm sorry Gilbert._' He thought over and over again. '_I'm so sorry for everything that I'm going to do to you. I don't want to kill you but if I don't I won't be able to do what I promised mama… I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry._'

Slowly the door to his room opened up again, this time Ludwig was standing there. "Are you okay Matthew?"

Matthew quickly wiped his tears away. "Medication's acting up a little again." He muttered. "I'm honestly crying for no reason again… Sure it'll stop again in no time at all."

Ludwig nodded and crossed his arms. "As you know your trial run is happening in a few days… If you feel that you're not ready you can decline if you wish and postpone it to a later date if you so wish."

Matthew smiled a little and shook his head. "No, I'm ready. I want this. I'm sure of it… I'm also glad that Gilbert agreed to be my handler through this. I feel… better knowing that I probably won't have to worry about being injected with something that day."

"You'll be given your medication before you go." Said Ludwig.

Matthew frowned a little. "Oh… Okay… Is there anything else you need from me at this point?"

"No." Said Ludwig. "I was just confirming that you were definitely sure that you wanted this." He turned and closed Matthew's door behind him, leaving the Canadian alone with his thoughts again.

Alone with his thoughts again he curled up on his bed and whimpered a little. '_I was so ready to kill him a few hours ago. Feliks's words really struck a nerve… Maybe Feliks is right… I need Gilbert more than this stupid vendetta I have going on in my head… Oh well, I know I'll make the right choice for myself in the end._'

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Yeah… please review!


	21. Decisions Made

**Shinigami-cat: **Well, I don't really have too much to say here either, but I strongly suggest you don't read this at school or any place where someone can easily look over your shoulder and see what you're reading, if you know what I mean… I OWN NOTHING!

**Decisions Made**

The day had finally come. Matthew's trial run was today. Gilbert for one was excited to be Matthew's handler. This meant he might be able to get Alfred and Matthew back together again, but only as friends. After all Gilbert himself still had feelings for the blond.

He was sitting in Roderich's office waiting for Matthew to turn up. As usual Roderich was trying to talk Gilbert out of his decision. "This is a horrible, terrible, devastatingly bad idea." He said.

"Still a better idea than that hair cut you got." Snapped Gilbert.

Roderich growled in frustration and rubbed his temples. "Fine, you stubborn mule. This is how things are going to work; Matthew's going to have an external tracking device strapped to his ankle. It's made of solid steal so it's impossible to remove without a key." He took a box out of his desk and opened it. Inside was a small needle containing a yellow liquid.

Gilbert frowned. He was sure he had seen that before. "Is that what I think it is?"

Roderich nodded. "Yeah, it's a concentrated dose of Matthew medication. Inject this into him and he'll be unconscious on the floor for a week." He held the needle out to Gilbert. "Take it as a precaution. You don't have to use it unless you have to."

Gilbert frowned, but took the needle anyway. Even if it was just to satisfy Roderich's paranoia. There was no way Matthew would hurt him. He knew that. "Whatever."

With the needle pocketed and put away there was a knock at the door. The door opened and in walked Ludwig followed by Matthew. Matthew was positively beaming and he looked just adorable wearing a pair of baggy jeans that covered the tracker on his ankle and an oversized baggy red hoodie.

"I assume everything is read." Said Ludwig.

Gilbert nodded and quickly walked over to Matthew, leading him out of the room. "Yep. Let's go Matthew."

"Eh? O-okay!" Squeaked the Canadian in surprise.

Once they were outside Gilbert grinned happily as he slapped Matthew on the back. "So you're free today Birdie."

Matthew blushed a little. "Birdie?"

Gilbert grinned. "Ja, you're as free as a bird today so I thought that calling you Birdie would be appropriate."

"I guess…" Muttered Matthew. The blush on his face darkened significantly.

Gilbert smiled happily. Matthew was too cute when he blushed like that. "Come on, I'll take you to this awesome café I know."

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

It was a real joy to have Matthew with him. The kid was just all bright eyes and wanting to see everything there was in the city. "I like the city." Said the blond happily.

"Why might that be?" Asked Gilbert with a grin.

"It's easier to hide amongst a crowd." Said Matthew happily. "If you travel through small country towns that aren't used to visitors it's easy to spot strangers. It's different in the city because no one really knows anyone and seeing strangers is a daily occurrence."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow. Not really sure how to respond to Matthew's rather dark comment. "I see… Anyway we're here." He directed Matthew into the small café and led him over to a table near the back of the room.

Matthew smiled a little as he looked around the café. He seemed so excited about being out and about, not being confined by the walls of Nightingale. "I've never been in a café before." Said Matthew softly.

"Why's that?" Asked Gilbert.

"Never really felt comfortable about staying in a place full of people for too long." Said Matthew. "I prefer being in places that are a little more private…"

"We can go to my apartment after this if you want?" Suggested Gilbert. He didn't want Matthew to feel uncomfortable.

Matthew smiled brightly at Gilbert. "I'd like that."

Gilbert grinned. There was just something about Matthew that just made him feel so warm inside when he smiled. Before he did something unawesome and blush he quickly called a waiter over. "Hey Alfred, the awesome me wants service!"

The American blond had his head down as he quickly counted the tip in his hand. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cut me some slack today will you? I'm working double shifts." He quickly put the tip in his pocket and looked up at the pair sitting at the table in front of him. His eyes immediately fixated on Matthew.

Matthew's eyes went wide with shock as he looked directly into Alfred's equally shocked eyes. The tension was so intense time seemed to stand still. Slowly Matthew stood up, eyes still locked with Alfred's. He reached out and wrapped his arms around the American, pulling him into a hug. "I'm sorry."

Alfred smiled a little and hugged back. He seemed a little relieved. "Dude… I'm so sorry that you thought I was dead… I just didn't know what to think after… after everything that happened."

Matthew sniffled a little. "You don't have to be sorry Al, I'm the one who almost got you killed. I'm sure you had your reasons for what you did."

"Aw dude! Don't cry!" Whined Alfred a little as tears started to build up in the corners of his eyes. "If you start crying I'll start crying!"

Gilbert smiled a little to himself as he watched the two of them reunite. '_Yep… So anticlimactic. But for once I did a good thing._'

After about a minute they moved apart and Matthew sat down again. He was grinning happily from ear to ear. Alfred on the other hand took a moment to compose himself. "Okay dudes, I still work here… So what do you to want to order?"

"Coffee." Said Gilbert. "What do you want Birdie?"

"Water." Said Matthew softly.

Alfred grinned happily. "Sweet. One coffee and one water coming up!" He quickly turned and walked off to get their drinks.

When he was out of ear shot Matthew sighed a little, a small smile still tugged at his lips. "He's changed… But in a good way I think. He seems happier than when I last saw him. I'm happy for him."

Gilbert grinned. "So I'm guessing you two are going to be seeing a lot more of each other now."

Matthew shook his head. "No… I think he's happier without me in his life. It'll probably be best if things stay that way. I don't want to cause him anymore trouble."

"But you don't cause him trouble." Said Gilbert. "Birdie, you're not a burden to anyone."

Matthew chuckled a little. "Well I guess that's your opinion."

Gilbert frowned. He wanted to say something to the blond about how he could never be a burden to anyone. It wasn't just his opinion. It was fact. But before he could Alfred turned up again with their drinks. '_I guess I'll just have to say something later…_'

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

They soon left the café and headed back to Gilbert's apartment. As they walked Gilbert couldn't help but notice Matthew's slight nervousness. He chalked it up to the fact that Matthew didn't like crowds. "While we're at my place feel free to do whatever you like." Said Gilbert. "Just try not to smash anything."

Matthew nodded. "O-okay."

They walked into Gilbert's hotel and made their way up to his room. The albino grinned a little at Matthew's amazed expression. The poor Canadian had probably never been in a place like this. "Make yourself at home. You're pretty much stuck here for the next few hours."

Matthew smiled and started to wander around the place. Gilbert grinned and sat down on the couch. Matthew was so quiet it was almost like he was home alone. He knew it was stupid to think like that, but it was just how he felt. He turned on the TV and started to watch a random horror movie that happened to be on.

Horror movies didn't scare Gilbert. Quite the opposite actually, he found them as funny as comedies. He would always chuckle when someone got killed and howl with laughter when there was something particularly freaky, gruesome of scary. He assumed that it had something to do with the fact that laughter was a natural response most people had when they found something funny or something scared the shit out of them. After all wild laughter did sound a lot like screaming.

After a while the movie switched to a calmer scene of the main character talking to some kind of shaman. It was neither gruesome nor freaky nor scary. "Boring." It was at that point he felt the couch cushions dip slightly. He down the couch and smiled when he saw Matthew. "Done exploring?"

Matthew nodded. He still seemed nervous. "Y-yeah… For an apartment this place is huge." He looked down at his lap and nervously tapped his ankle with his foot. A small metallic click could be heard. "So… What are you watching?"

"Horror movie." Said Gilbert simply. He sighed a little and made himself comfortable. "Are you okay with this kind of stuff?"

Matthew shrugged. "Never really seen a horror movie before… But then again I have pretty much been living one my whole life so…" There was a rather gruesome scene where a body was getting mutilated by some kind of shark toothed amphibian thing. It made Matthew gulp and shudder. "The things people come up with…"

Gilbert did his best to suppress a chuckle. "I guess so… But it's not that bad. It's a pretty stupid movie. The plot is pretty ridiculous, but it's still fun to watch."

Matthew rolled his eyes. "I'll never understand the human fascination with the gruesome." He yelped and jumped in fear when a female character spontaneously exploded. By now Matthew was grabbing on tightly to Gilbert's arm and shaking a little.

Gilbert smiled a little and wrapped an arm around the smaller blond in an attempt to relax him slightly. "It's okay Birdie, it's just a movie."

"I hate jump scares." Muttered Matthew softly.

"I can change it if you want." Said Gilbert. He didn't want to scare Matthew too much. But he wasn't complaining about being able to hold him.

Matthew shook his head. "It's your TV. You watch what you want… I'm just going to pretend I'm somewhere else…" With that Matthew buried his face into Gilbert's shirt.

Gilbert smiled affectionately at the shivering blond and ran his fingers through his soft hair. He no longer was paying attention to the movie. Instead he was concentrating on the Canadian under his arm. '_Poor thing…_' He thought. '_Even after all the stuff he's seen he still freaks out over a movie. It isn't even real… He's just too cute for words._' Without really thinking he leaned down and kissed the top of Matthew's head.

Almost immediately Matthew looked up at Gilbert with wide eyes and a dark blush on his face. "D-did you just k-kiss me?" He asked.

Gilbert blushed a little, but still kept eye contact with Matthew. "I did." He took a deep breath and bit his lip. "I like you Matthew… I really do. I don't care about what you did in the past. All I care about is who you are now… That's part of the reason I wanted to be your handler today. I care about you and what happens to you. You're important to me… I-I love you Birdie."

Matthew blinked a few times in absolute shock, but his expression softened and he smiled up at the albino. "I kind of l-love you too. You're the only human that's treated me like I matter in a long time."

Gilbert smiled and pulled Matthew onto his lap. "I'm glad you feel that way too Birdie." With that he leaned forwards and kisses Matthew softly on the lips.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Matthew melted into the kiss, his eyes fluttering shut. '_I'll kill him later._' He thought to himself. '_He deserves a little something before he dies._' The sudden feeling of Gilbert's tongue sweeping across his bottom lip made him gasp, giving Gilbert the opportunity to slip his tongue into the other's mouth.

Being as inexperienced as he was in this area, Matthew let Gilbert control the kiss, occasionally moaning in pleasure. After a few moments Gilbert moved away, barely parting his lips with Matthew, whispering in a low voice. "If you're up for it we can move this to my bedroom."

Matthew shivered a little at the subtle seductive tone in the elder's voice and against his better judgement he nodded. "O-okay." Gilbert smiled lovingly at Matthew before quickly kissing him on the lips and picking him up bridal style, carrying him off to the bedroom.

In Matthew's mind he was screaming at himself to stop what he was doing, but a bigger part was curious as to what Gilbert would do. He had a pretty basic idea of how these kinds of relationships worked because Feliks had no concept of being private with his love life with Toris. But imagining and experiencing were two different things.

'_I can't believe we're actually going to do this._' Thought Matthew to himself. '_I'm about to lose my virginity… I don't what this… No wait I do… Fuck it all! I don't even know anymore!_'

Gilbert took Matthew into the bed room and placed him on the bed so that his head was resting on a pillow. "Are you nervous?"

Matthew nodded a little as he played with the hem of his hoodie. "Well… It's my first time so…"

Gilbert smiled lovingly at Matthew as he crawled on top of him. "We'll take this slowly… But if you feel uncomfortable at any time just say so and I'll stop. I don't want to scare off my Birdie."

Matthew smirked a little. "You're Birdie? I'm hardly yours or anyone's for that matter."

"But you will be mine." Said Gilbert in a low voice that just made Matthew shiver. For some reason that tone in Gilbert's voice just made the blond giddy with desire. He had no idea why, but he liked it. In one swift motion Gilbert rid Matthew of his shirt and frowned a little. "No shirt?"

Matthew blushed a little. "I-I don't really see the need for shirts because I'm pretty used to the cold so I don't wear one with a hoodie…"

Gilbert chuckled a little and quickly kissed the blond on the lips. "It's okay. I don't care… It's just a little surprising, that's all." With that being said he started to kiss the blonds neck. Occasionally licking and gently nipping the skin, making Matthew gasp in pleasure. It felt odd to him but in a good way.

After a while he felt those lips trail down his neck and onto his chest. Matthew gasped a little when he felt Gilbert's tongue flick over a nipple. He couldn't really describe the sensation, but it felt good. He was soon moaning and writhing in pleasure under the albino as he continued to assault the helpless Canadian's chest.

All too soon Gilbert abandoned the now red buds and started to slowly kiss and lick his way down to the hem of Matthew's pants. He looked up at Matthew seeing if there was any sign that he wanted to stop. When he saw nothing of the sort on the Canadian's face he pulled off his pants, only getting slightly annoyed when he realized that Matthew was still wearing shoes and the stupid tracker and caught on a loose string.

But it was all quickly dealt with. Those items were quickly tossed to the floor leaving Matthew in just his boxers and Gilbert still fully clothed. "Take off your clothes too…" Mumbled Matthew, his face turning a dark shade of red.

Gilbert chuckled a little and removed his shirt and pants leaving them both in nothing more than their boxers. "Better Birdie?"

Matthew blushed a little and nodded. Gilbert really did have a gorgeous body. He just wanted to reach out and touch the elder's paper white skin. "Y-yeah."

Gilbert grinned and started to palm the bulge that was steadily growing in the Canadian's boxers. Said Canadian moaned loudly at the feeling. He himself never really masturbated much so the feel of someone else's hand on him, even if he was wearing his boxers, just felt amazing.

Gilbert smirked at the reaction he got. But he slowed down enough to ask his Canadian a question he'd been dying to know. "Tell me Birdie… Have you ever used your tentacles on yourself like this?"

Matthew blushed and shook his head. "N-never felt the n-need to." He moaned a little.

"Really?" Asked Gilbert curiously, slowly starting to pull down Matthew's boxers. "Never curious about what it might feel like? Never even thought about it?" With one swift move Gilbert pulled off Matthew's boxers, exposing his naked form.

Matthew's blush darkened. Both from the questions he was being asked and from being completely exposed to the other. "N-not really… Please stop looking, it's embarrassing…"

Gilbert smiled softly at Matthew and gently caressed his cheek. "There's no need to be embarrassed Birdie… I'm the only one in the room." His other hand snaked around Matthew's length and slowly started to pump, taking time to rub his thumb over the head each time.

Matthew's mind became foggy as he started to buck into Gilbert's hand. Trying desperately to get a little more of that delicious friction. Soon a tight coil built up in the pit in the stomach. "Gil! I-I'm gonna-"

Before Matthew could reach his orgasm Gilbert moved his hand away grinning. "Not yet Birdie." He whispered in a husky voice. He reached over to the bedside table and took a tube out of one of the drawers. He coated his fingers in the oily substance and rubbed it between his fingers to make it warmer.

After a few moments of this Gilbert gently pushed Matthew's legs apart and rubbed a finger against his hole occasionally pressing against it, but never entering fully.

This teasing was driving Matthew crazy. "Stop teasing me!" He cried out. "Just please hurry up and take me!"

Gilbert chuckled at Matthew's eagerness and slowly pushed in a finger. "As much as I would just love to fuck you senseless right now, I don't want your first time to be painful." He slowly started to rub Matthew's inner walls.

It was such an odd sensation, but it felt strangely good. Matthew moaned softly and spread his legs wider. "More…" He purred.

Gilbert grinned and slowly pushed in a second finger, being careful to ease it in. Matthew started to pant a little. It hurt to have two of Gilbert's fingers inside him but there was just this little voice in the back of his head that only just managed to cut through the cloud of lust that was thick in his mind. It was one word. One simple word. Relax.

And so he did just that. He took a few deep breaths and eased into the feeling of having Gilbert's fingers fill him and move deep inside. Suddenly sparks started to fly behind his eyes as he vision went blurry and his back arched right off the mattress. He had no idea if he screamed or if he even said anything, all he knew was that Gilbert kept hitting that spot over and over again. Matthew felt the albino push another finger in and stretch his fingers inside him but he didn't care. As long as Gilbert was hitting that spot he didn't care how many fingers Gilbert put inside him.

Suddenly Gilbert withdrew his fingers earning a whine of protest from Matthew. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked up at Gilbert. He watched him take off his boxers revealing his rather large manhood.

Matthew gulped a little, the colour draining slightly from his face. '_Oh fuck…_'

Gilbert noticed Matthew unease and quickly kissed him on the lips, taking off the other's glasses. It was amazing they hadn't fallen off already. "Don't worry Birdie. I promise I'll make you feel awesome." He pulled away and coated his length in a generous amount of oil-like substance from the tube. He groaned slightly at the contact as Matthew watched him still blushing.

After a few moments Gilbert pulled one of Matthew's legs over his shoulder and wrapped his other leg around his waist. He pressed the tip of his member against Matthew's entrance and smiled. "You ready Birdie?"

Matthew nodded. "Yeah." Slowly Gilbert pushed into his Canadian, groaning in pleasure. Matthew gasped and bit his lip in slight pain. A small part of him wanted to quickly shove Gilbert off him and get the hell out of there, but a larger more powerful part was screaming at him to stay and relax. After a few moments Gilbert stopped moving, being fully in cased inside his Birdie.

"Tell me when." Panted Gilbert.

From the tone of his voice Matthew could tell that Gilbert was just itching to slam into him and claim him as his own. That thought turned Matthew on so much it wasn't funny. "Move." He purred. Desperate for some much needed friction.

Slowly Gilbert started to move, moaning a little in pleasure. Matthew on the other hand was staring blankly at the ceiling. His eyes devoid of any other emotion other than lust. Slowly, ever so slowly the small amount of pain he felt was ebbing away to pure bliss. He wanted more of that perfect friction, he needed it, he craved it.

Suddenly Gilbert hit that spot that made Matthew see stars. He cried out in pure pleasure, not sure if he actually said any actual words, nor did he care. He just knew that he made a primal cry that ripped through his throat. Whatever Gilbert was doing to him he didn't want it to stop, ever.

Soon that tight coil started to build up in the pit of his stomach again. He felt his body tightening up like an elastic that was about to snap. With one final animalistic cry he spilled his seed all over his and Gilbert's abdomens. Almost simultaneously Gilbert emptied himself deep inside Matthew.

After a few moments Gilbert pulled out and collapsed next to Matthew, pulling him close. "I love you so much Matthew."

Matthew smiled a little and rested his head against the albino's chest. He was still basking in the afterglow of his own orgasm and just felt like he was floating on air. "I love you too Gilbert…" That was the last thing he remembered before he was lulled into the gentle embrace of sleep.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Matthew slowly sat up and looked down at himself in shock. He was sitting on Gilbert's bed after they just had sex. The experience just seemed just too unreal, almost like a dream. He had no idea what came over him. '_Did I…Did I just have sex with Gilbert? Fuck that wasn't part of the plan at all! Why didn't I stop it? Fuck! _' He looked over at Gilbert's sleeping form and sighed a little. '_Oh well, what's done is done. Can't be helped._'

Slowly as not to wake up the albino he shifted slightly so he was resting on his knees, staring at Gilbert. Almost studying the sleeping man's features; face set in a relaxed state, mouth slightly opened and hair just sweeping over his soft eyelids. The man never looked more handsome in Matthew's opinion.

He sighed sadly. '_Such a waste… But as soon as he wakes up and sees that I'm not here he'll notify the authorities. I have to do this… I'll get about a half hour head start._' Matthew closed his eyes and took in a long deep breath as he felt the skin between his shoulder blades stretch and contort to form a sleek grey tentacle.

Said tentacle brushed against his shoulder as he contemplated where to strike the sleeping man; heart, head or just go for the gusto and mutilate his body? There were so many options. Too many options. Matthew watched the rhythmical rise and fall of Gilbert's chest and made his choice.

With the tentacle's edge as sharp as a razor he took aim above Gilbert's heart. He would have to do this quickly so as to insure he had a quick and painless death. '_I'm sorry Gilbert… You should never have gotten involved with a monster like me…_' With that thought in mind Matthew slowly raised the tentacle into the air and brought it down with speed and force. Once the deed was done he retracted the tentacle, gathered his clothes, got dressed and walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Gilbert opened his eyes and frowned. The mattress now had a huge gaping hole in it right next to his chest. '_Why didn't he kill me?_' He asked himself. '_He had the perfect opportunity to do so and escape._' He sighed and got up, got dressed and walked out to his kitchen. Standing there with his back to him was Matthew. He was leaning over the sink drinking some water.

"Why did you try to kill me?" Asked Gilbert. "Or perhaps more appropriate questions would include; why am I still alive and why are you still in my house?"

"Waiting for the pain killers to kick in, mostly." Muttered Matthew. He slowly turned around and smiled a little half-heartedly at Gilbert. "I've never missed before. Consider yourself lucky that I decided against it at the last second."

Gilbert shrugged. "Okay then… But I didn't think you could use your tentacles. What's with that?"

"Quite simple really." Said Matthew with a small smile. "Like any medication if you take enough of it eventually your body becomes immune to it and the drug has little to no effect. The only thing that drug has done to me for the past few months is attack my nerve endings causing pain."

Gilbert nodded. "I see… So you have been able to use your tentacles for months but were waiting for an opportunity where you could, am I right?" Matthew nodded. "… Can I see them?"

"I guess…" Said Matthew. A thin grey tentacle slowly slithered out of his sleeve and stopped just in front of Gilbert's face. "You can touch it if you want. It's not like there are any nerves in them. It's just dead weight."

"Really?" Asked Gilbert. "Well I guess that explains why you can take a bullet of a blade with one of these things. It's pretty awesome." He smiled a little and ran his finger over it. It was surprisingly soft and velvety. Not scaly like he thought it might have been. "What are you going to do now though? Are you going to kill me?"

Matthew shrugged and retracted the tentacle. "I'm not going to kill you… But I'm sorry that I lied to you. I wasn't trying to escape to Mexico to try and escape everything. I was actually heading to Texas to kill my… father…"

Gilbert raised an eyebrow in question and leaned against the door frame. "Please explain."

Matthew sighed. "You see all those years ago when I found out about my mama I took notes on the key features of her murder and capture. In pretty much every place I've been I've been looking up murders with the same features. I've found that there were five such cases situated in Texas and there were three suspects, but the lack of evidence meant that they had to be let go. One of them is dead, one now lives somewhere in England and the other one transferred to an abortion clinic in British Columbia in the same year that my mama was taken. If that man isn't my father I at least want some answers."

"And what if he is your father?" Asked Gilbert. "Are you going to kill him?"

"Yes." Said Matthew calmly. "I want him to pay, not just for my mama, but for all those other girls he had the gall to capture, rape and murder."

Gilbert shrugged and walked over to Matthew. "Okay, so you kill him. What then? Where do you go? Do you go back to Nightingale? Do you kill anyone who gets in your way? Do you just keep running?"

"What choice do I have?" Asked Matthew sadly. "If I don't keep running I'll just be used as a lab rat for the rest of my life. If I keep running at least I'll be free." He looked directly into Gilbert's eyes. "Please… please let me go. I promise you that we'll never see each other again. You can just forget about me."

Gilbert frowned. "What if I don't want to? What if I want you to stay here?"

"I'm not going back to Nightingale." Growled the Canadian darkly. "I'd sooner kill you than go back there."

Gilbert chuckled. "You misunderstand me. I don't mean I want you to stay in Nightingale where you're used to test drugs and are subjected to painful injections." He gently ran his fingers through Matthew's hair. "I want you to stay here with me."

Matthew stared at the albino before him in shock. "What?"

"It's like I said." Said Gilbert. "I want you to stay here with me. I hate the way you're being treated at Nightingale. They see you as an animal. Something they can play with for their own amusement. It's sick. It's twisted. It's not right. They see you as a monster. You're not a monster. You are Matthew Williams. A human being."

Matthew chuckled a little, tears were starting to swell in his eyes. "Honestly… That's probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. But I'm still leaving. You can try to stop me if you want."

Gilbert sighed and wiped away Matthew's tears with his thumb. "I'm not going to stop you if you want to leave. But I want you to know that you can always come back here if you want."

Matthew shook his head and side stepped Gilbert, making his way towards the door. "I think it would be best for everyone if I just disappeared." He put his external tracking device on the counter and smiled a little. "Give me an hour to make a good head start please. I want to get as far away from here as possible before the police show up."

Gilbert frowned. He didn't want to let Matthew go. He wanted the smaller Canadian to stay with him, but he knew it was pointless to argue with him. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, quickly writing down his phone number and handed it to Matthew. "If you ever change your mind, or need anything… I'm here for you."

Matthew nodded and took the piece of paper, putting it into his pocket. "Thank you."

Gilbert sighed a little and turned away from Matthew. "Okay. One hour."

Matthew smiled and quickly dashed to the door. "Thank you Gilbert. If we ever meet again I owe you a favour!"

When he was gone Gilbert sighed sadly. He wanted Matthew to stay. He would have done anything to make the smaller blond stay, but he knew he couldn't. Matthew would just do what he wanted no matter what anyone else said. He picked up his phone and contemplated calling Roderich and telling him that Matthew's gone walk about. That way he definitely knew where Matthew would end up. But he knew he would never be able to face him again. Not after betraying his trust.

"I have to wait an hour." He muttered. He put down his phone and sighed in frustration. "One whole hour until I can say he's gone…"

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Holy cow that was so freaking long! I'm surprised it didn't take me longer to write! Please review!


	22. 6 Months Later

**Shinigami-cat: **Hey people, just letting you know that this story is far from over! If you've read some of my other stuff e.g. Maple & Birds you would know that this is far from over, and yes I was shamelessly plugging one of my stories… I OWN NOTHING!

**6 Months Later**

A lot can happen in six months. After Matthew's escape there was a complete over hall of management by the government. As a surprising turn of events Roderich was promoted to head of the company and Ludwig got Roderich's old job. All in all Nightingale became a much better place with this new shuffle in management.

Gilbert still published his book, though he did change around what he thought of the old way things were done at Nightingale. He labelled the old management as criminal, tortuous, and inhumane. This in turn helped speed along the management shuffle. He was right about his book being a best seller.

The albino still had to answer a few questions about how and why Matthew escaped. All through those investigations and interviews Gilbert smiled politely and simply said Matthew had asked to use the bathroom and must have escaped then as to why he escaped the albino claimed he had no idea.

It hurt Gilbert to claim he had no idea, but he didn't want to betray Matthew's trust. He also just felt responsible for him somehow. He just didn't know why. With a sigh he flopped down onto the couch and stared blankly at the ceiling. '_I want my Birdie back._' He thought miserably. '_I want him. I need him… Hurry up and fucking call me already!_'

Suddenly the phone rang and Gilbert's heart skipped a beat. He quickly grabbed the house phone and pressed it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Gil." Sang a cheery female voice.

Gilbert frowned and put on a cheerful voice. "Hey Liz… What's up?"

"I'm just popping by to see how you're going." Said Elizabeth. "I'll be up in a few minutes so be decent."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I am wearing pants you know. See you soon. Door's unlocked." When he hung up the phone he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He had been doing that for six months. He couldn't help but get excited whenever he heard the phone ring. He didn't want to leave any calls on the answering machine in case Matthew really did ring.

With a heavy heart he walked back over to the lounge and curled up. '_I want Matthew… I want him back…_'

A few minutes later Elizabeth opened the door and walked in with a smile on her face. "Hey Gilbert! It's been so long since… What the fuck happened here? Were you robbed?"

Gilbert frowned. Ever since Matthew had walked out of his life he had gone into mild depression. He wanted to clean up his place, but could never be bothered. "I'll do it later."

Elizabeth sighed and walked over to Gilbert. "What the hell happened to you? You look like shit. When was the last time you washed yourself? Hell, when was the last time you got out of your apartment? I was talking to Antonio down in the lobby and he said he hasn't seen you in at least two months!"

Gilbert huffed and rolled onto his stomach. "Yeah… I should probably do something about that… Did you just come here to babysit me?"

"Actually, I came to tell you that you're going to be on a few TV shows in a few days." Said Elizabeth in a matter of fact kind of way. "Get up. Have a shower. Put on some clean clothes. I don't care what's going through your mind at the moment, but you need to get your act together. I'll get you some antidepressants if you want."

Gilbert sighed and slowly sat up. "If you want…"

"What? No snappy comeback about how you're too awesome to take antidepressants?" Asked Elizabeth in shock. She crouched down next to Gilbert, her eyes full of concern. "What's wrong? You seriously need to tell me! I want to help you."

Gilbert smiled a little. Even though Liz could over dramatize things sometimes she knew when something was seriously wrong with Gilbert on a deep emotional level. "It's… It's about Matthew…"

Elizabeth frowned a little. "Nightmares or something?"

"Quite the opposite." Chuckled Gilbert. "When Matthew was on his trial run… We had sex."

Elizabeth's jaw dropped in shock. "You two… Oh my… Why did you not tell me sooner?" A drizzle of blood started to gently flow out of her nose. "So you're love sick or something?"

Gilbert nodded and kept his eyes down, unable to look Elizabeth in the eyes. "Yeah… But I'm in love with him. I'm not love sick or something… I want him back Liz. I gave him my number and I'm afraid that if I leave the apartment he'll ring and I won't be here…"

Elizabeth smiled sympathetically. "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. If he really cared about you he would have called by now." She grinned and pinched Gilbert's cheeks. "This is what's going to happen; you're going have a shower, go to a club with Francis and Antonio, go on TV and before you know if you'll forget about him."

Gilbert chuckled. He knew Elizabeth's intentions were good, even if they were a little off at times. "Okay."

Elizabeth grinned and quickly looked around. "Okay, you have a shower and I'll make you lunch… Seriously, have you been spending all your money on pizza and Chinese food?"

Gilbert shrugged and stood up, making his way to the bathroom. "Would you hate me if I said yes?"

"Not hate." Said Elizabeth. "Never hate… More disappointed than anything."

Gilbert chuckled and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind himself. In the cold confines of the tiled room the albino sighed sadly. He knew he shouldn't be so depressed over this situation. Matthew was never going to stay with him no matter what.

The blond was a free spirit with a burning passion. Even if that burning passion was to kill his father as revenge for raping and murdering his mother he still had a passion none the less.

He wanted to see him again. He wanted to hear him again. Heck, he would kill for Matthew just to say something in his dreams instead of just being silent. Gilbert shook his head of those thoughts and stripped off his clothes and turned the water on. Instead of having a shower he decided to have a bath. He didn't like standing up for too long anymore.

Once the water was high enough he sat in the tub and sunk down to that his nose was above the water. '_I can't keep sulking like this… Liz is right. If Matthew really cared he would have called or at least tried to make contact of some kind. I guess I'll just have to accept it and get over it…_'

He didn't want to accept it. He wanted Matthew to be with him, but he knew that might never happen. Even if Matthew wanted to be with him he was still a convicted murderer. He would be arrested again and more than likely be given the death penalty.

The only comfort he had in that was knowing that pretty much all poisons wouldn't work on Tentacula, lethal or otherwise. But it was only a small comfort. What would really comfort him is knowing where Matthew was right at this moment.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Flies were annoying. Mosquitos were annoying. Spiders were annoying. Dust was annoying. Everything in Matthew's opinion was annoying. He hated Texas. He hated hot places. Global warming could suck his dick for all he cared. He just wanted some snow or at least a cool breeze. Anything like that would be fine right about now.

Matthew had changed a fair bit in six months. As soon as he got out of the city he had changed his clothes, pulling on something he found in a donation bin. He had done this several times to avoid suspicion. He was also back to eating next to nothing each day, making him dangerously skinny. He didn't mind though, every now and then he would either go searching in bins or go back to the way he lived as a child and eat pretty much anything that came his way. His hair had gotten longer too, so long that he started to tie it back to keep it out of his face.

Right now he was sitting in the shade of a drain pipe as he looked over a stained shred of map. There was a piece of land circled but Matthew couldn't concentrate on it. All he wanted to do was go back to find Gilbert.

He missed the albino so much. Without Gilbert around he just felt hollow. He didn't like that feeling, but as soon as he got some answers he was at least going to call him. He had restrained himself from calling earlier, afraid that Gilbert's phone could be bugged. But he still wanted to hear his lover's voice.

Matthew sighed and leaned back, resting his head against the concrete pipe. '_Gilbert… I wonder what he's doing right now… Wonder if he's forgotten all about me._' That thought made his chest hurt a little. He quickly shook his head and looked back at his scrap of map. '_I can't lose my focus. I have to finish this._' Taking note of the marking on the map he quickly put it back into his pocket.

He crawled out of the drain pipe and sighed in frustration. He was not made for the sun. Matthew quickly stretched, hearing a pop or two from his aching back and walked over to the long barren stretch of highway. Hopefully he could hitch hike his way to his final destination.

After about an hour a pickup truck pulled over and looked the blond over. The driver of the pickup was a young woman with short blond hair and a purple ribbon in her hair. "You need a lift somewhere?" She asked.

Matthew smiled at the woman. She couldn't have been any older than him. "Yeah, I'm heading to town. I'd be grateful if you could just drop me off."

The woman looked Matthew over again before opening the door. "Well hope in. I'm heading there anyway." Matthew grinned and climbed into the truck. The woman started up the truck again and started to drive. "My name's Lily by the way. What about you?"

"Matthew… Do you usually pick up hitch hikers?" He asked.

Lily chuckled a little. "No, but you don't seem too strange… Besides you're from Canada aren't you? You have a bit of an accent. What are you doing so far south?"

Matthew shrugged. "Just visiting a relative… A very, very distant uncle. He's a bit forgetful so it'll explain why he didn't pick me up from the airport… You wouldn't happen to know a James Tucker would you?"

Lily raised an eyebrow. "James Tucker? He's you uncle? Didn't even think old James had any family… Keeps to himself mostly, but he owns the only hardware store in town and I think he works as a janitor at the clinic sometimes…"

Matthew nodded a little, looking out the window. He had known for a few years the name of his supposed father. James Tucker. He would forever curse that fucker's name. He wanted to kill him slowly and painfully. Death would not come quickly to him not matter how much be might beg for it.

"You okay Matthew?" Asked Lily. "You seem a little spaced out."

Matthew chuckled a little. "Yeah, it's just been years since I've seen him… Last time I saw him I was just a baby. I can't even remember what that old man looks like."

Lily smiled. "Well… He had really blond hair and these almost ice coloured eyes… He looks pretty intimidating at times." She thought for a second. "You know… His property is actually pretty close by… I can drop you off their instead of town if you want."

"That would be awesome." Said Matthew brightly. "Thank you so much Lily."

"Always happy to help." Said Lily. She turned up a dirt road and trundled along it for a good twenty minutes until they came across a rusty gate. From the gate Matthew could see a rather large looking house and shed resting at the top a small hill surrounded by almost nothing at all. "That's Tucker's property." Said Lily. "He owns a few hundred square hectares of land… If you need anything my big brother and I live east of this place… so yeah…"

Matthew nodded and got out of the truck. "Thanks Lily. See you around sometime maybe?" Lily smiled at him and reversed down the road and out of sight. When she was gone Matthew looked up at the house and glared at it. "I'll fucking murder him."

He jumped over the fence and made his way up to the house. He wanted to find James Tucker and kill him slowly, mutilate him, snap his neck, make him bleed.

He opened the door to the house with ease. It was unlocked. Presumably because he was still at home. He gritted his teeth a little and clenched his fists. Anger starting to bubble in his chest. "Hey!" He yelled. "Guess what you sick fuck! Your son is back!"

Suddenly something hard smashed into the back of his skull, causing him to tumble and fall forwards. As his world started to spin into darkness he heard a dark chuckle and saw a pair of muddy boots come into his vision. "Welcome home boy."

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Yep… I'm leaving it there. Please review!


	23. A New Kind of Hell

**Shinigami-cat: **Hey people! Sorry for leaving t where I did last time, but I was kind of sleepy and I was like… it's about ten pages, so fuck it. I'm posting it. Also I just realized that Canada pretty much always gets kidnapped in all of my stories… WHAT THE HELL IS THIS MADNESS? I guess I really think he's just kidnappable material or something… I OWN NOTHING!

**A New Kind of Hell**

Matthew groaned as he opened up his eyes, his head was still splitting from the mild concussion he probably suffered. He tried to move but it soon became apparent that it wasn't an option. He was tied down to a rather sturdy wooden chair.

'_Well… it could be worse I guess…_' He looked around the room he was in. He was in some kind of basement and or workshop area; there were several large power tools covered in a kind of rusty red colour, the floor was stained with the same substance and there were several shelves lined with several large jars containing what looked like human body parts. '_Oh fuck…_'

There was a squeak in the distance as a door slowly opened up and the creak of wooden steps under heavy boots filled the air. Matthew frowned and glanced over at the man; he had short blond hair and a scraggly beard with streaks of white, he was rather masculine and he had the darkest blue eyes Matthew had ever seen. It was like looking into the depths of the ocean.

But Matthew wasn't afraid of him. He just chuckled. "James Tucker… I guess you've changed a fair bit from kidnapping, raping and killing girls haven't you?"

Tucker just smirked. "I've been keeping an eye on you."

Matthew rolled his eyes. "So you've been keeping an eye on me. Who gives a fuck? How the hell have you been doing that anyway?"

"Newspapers mostly." Said Tucker. He walked over to a table, picking up a bloodied knife. "I knew it was you that murdered those kids and the prostitute and that mugger and all those policemen… I must say I'm surprised you didn't get killed."

"I'm special." Hissed Matthew. He tried to make a tentacle sprout from his back or his arm but to no avail. "Wait what?"

Tucker grinned and twirled the knife gracefully in his hand. "Before you said that I changed from abducting little girls? You're right. I've become interested in Tentacula and it's a good thing that many of those freaks pass through here to Mexico."

Matthew growled and started to pull on his restraints. "I've counted at least three hearts and seven stomachs in those jars. You've killed at least seven people."

Tucker smirked a little. "Fun fact, pigs eat pretty much everything; skin, bones, meat, clothes and most jewellery. I've gotten a lot more Tentacula than you'll ever know. I also got a fair few pigs out the back."

'_Wonderful._' Thought Matthew spitefully. '_He's a fucking wack job… Okay so I knew that before, but he's just that little bit crazier._'

Tucker walked over to Matthew and crouched down so that he was level with his eyes, smirking sadistically. "Want to know why you can't use your tentacles?"

"Well that thought had crossed my mind a few times." Growled Matthew darkly.

Tucker chuckled. "The back of the chair is metal. It's hooked up to a car battery. Through subtle experimentation I've been testing ways to neutralize you things. I find that a small electrical current does the job quite nicely."

Matthew clenched his fists in anger. "You've killed so many people for no fucking reason. You're insane. You're a freak."

"I'm not the freak." Spat Tucker. "Tentacula are freaks. You shouldn't even be alive you little shit! You were supposed to die!"

"Then why didn't you kill me?" Snapped Matthew. He was tired of all the bullshit. "You had the perfect opportunity to do so. Why didn't you just do it? Couldn't kill the thing you helped spawned?"

"I'm a gentleman." Said Tucker. "I'm more than happy to give a poor girl a dying wish… Matilda didn't want you to die. She wanted you to live." He smirked. "I heard you before I saw you… screaming and carrying on like there was no tomorrow. I tore you out of her hands and was so close to smashing your fucking face against the ground… popping your head like a zit. But Matilda kept on crying, begging me to let you live."

Matthew growled at the man in front of him. "How did you kill her? How did you kill my mama?"

"She gave birth to you when I wasn't there." Said Tucker. "There were complications and she bled to death. I didn't kill her. You did… Murdered your own mother before you could even talk."

"SHUT UP!" Screamed Matthew. "I DIDN'T KILL HER! YOU DID! I SHOULDN'T EVEN HAVE BEEN BORN! GO TO HELL! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! GO AND DIE! JUST DIE! DIE! DIE! FUCKING DIE!"

Without hesitation Tucker slashed Matthew across the chest with his knife. Not deep enough to cause any real damage, but enough to make him bleed. "Shut up you little shit." He hissed. "You're a monster. A freak. An abomination." He stood up and took a few steps back from Matthew, a twisted smirk starting to spread over his face again. "I guess the only good thing about you is that you look like Matilda."

If Matthew could he would have leapt forwards and ripped that fucker's face off. He chuckled a little. "So what? Are you going to rape me you sick fuck?"

Tucker rolled his eyes. "That's disgusting." He looked down at the watch on his wrist and frowned. "Be back soon. Got to go to work. Have fun down here son."

When he was gone Matthew growled in frustration. '_Electrical pulses? How the fuck would that stop my tentacles from working? This is stupid! What the fuck! I was so close to killing him too! Now I'm fucking stuck here… I should have called Gilbert earlier…_'

He sighed and leaned his head back so that he was looking up at the roof. He wasn't surprised to see blood splatter up there too. "Fucking wonderful… I should have thought this through more carefully. This guy is insane."

He sighed and closed his eyes. He just had to keep his cool and think of a way out. Just because he couldn't use his tentacles to cut his way out didn't mean he was completely helpless. But there was one question that was still bugging him; what the hell was James Tucker going to do with him?

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

The club music was pumping and the strobe lights were blinding. Gilbert didn't really feel that awesome though. After he had gotten out of his bath and Elizabeth practically poured the pumpkin soup she made down his throat, he didn't even know he had pumpkin in the first place, Gilbert was kicked out of his apartment by the brunet and told to go to a club with Francis and Antonio. The Frenchman and the Spaniard thought this was a wonderful idea and embraced it.

"Come on Gilbert." Whined Antonio. "Loosen up a little. We haven't seen you in months and when we see you, you act all depressed."

Gilbert smiled a little. "Sorry about that. I just feel… feel like something bad's happening. I'm also wondering how Liz made pumpkin soup when I had no pumpkins in my kitchen…"

Francis chuckled and took a sip of his drink. "Okay, new drinking game; every time Gilbert acts depressed we take a sip and every time he talks about his feelings we finish a drink."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Fine…" The trio took a sip of their respective drinks and chuckled. Tonight was going to be a long night.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Several hours later Gilbert was giggling and laughing his head off with an equally drunk drunken Frenchman and Spaniard. They ended up sitting in a booth near the back exit of the club having their own little conversations.

"So, so why are you so sad all the time?" Asked a giggly Antonio as he played with the little umbrella that came with his drink.

"I miss Matthew." Said Gilbert with a grin. He started to slide his empty bottle of tequila. "He's so fucking cute… emphasis on the fucking."

Francis started laughing. "You had sex with him? Is he any good?"

Gilbert rolled his eyes and playfully punched Francis's shoulder. "Dude… that's like… incest or something… He's like your nephew."

Francis grinned and drank some more wine. "I don't have a nephew… The only way that would work is like… like… if Matilda had a son, which she didn't."

Gilbert wagged his finger in front of Francis's face. "No, no, no… no… Matthew was born and dumped at an orphanage by the guy that raped your sister… When I realized I was thinking what the fuck? But it's so fucking obvious… Who drank all my tequila?"

"You did." Said Antonio with a grin. "You drank it down like water."

Francis frowned a little. "I don't have a nephew…"

"Yes you do." Whined Gilbert. "And to answer your first question he's bloody amazing in bed." Gilbert sighed and slammed his head against the table. "I want him back…"

Antonio chuckled and took out his phone. "I think we should call it a night amigos. We're getting way too drunk... especially Gilbert."

"Who are you calling?" Asked Francis.

"My little tomato." Cooed Antonio happily. "I'm sure he'll give us a lift, or at least tell Ludwig to pick up Gilbert."

Gilbert sighed. His mind was still foggy from the alcohol. '_Where are you Birdie? Where the hell are you?_'

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Matthew hissed in pain as Tucker pressed a blade into his arm, just under the skin and dragged down it slowly down his arm. As far as Matthew could tell Tucker was a sadist, his medical experience didn't help much either. If anything it made the suffering worse. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Tucker momentarily stopped what he was doing and looked into Matthew's eyes. "Ever since I found out you murdered those kids I thought you might come for me. You're a monster and I need to kill you."

"I'm not a monster." Growled Matthew darkly. "What the hell are you doing to my arm?"

"I'm testing a theory." He muttered. Tucker pressed the blade deeper into Matthew's arm, hitting a vein. This caused blood to squirt out of the cut in a sudden burst. Matthew yelped a little in shock and jerked his arm, causing the blade to dig deeper. Tucker just chuckled and pulled the blade out and quickly pressed a cotton ball to it, stopping the flow. "I want to see how quickly you can repair your body… Just call it a scientific experiment."

"Go to hell." Spat Matthew. He hated being treated like this. It was almost like he was back in Nightingale, except here there was no chance of a painkiller. "Is this what you do to Tentacula? Experiment on them?"

"You're no different to a lab rat." Said Tucker emotionlessly.

Matthew started to grind his teeth in frustration. He was not a lab rat. He was not a monster. He was not a freak. It didn't matter what anyone said anymore. He knew it was all a lie. "A lab rat? Do you even fucking know what they do to lab rats? They sure as hell don't do this shit!"

Tucker chuckled. "Okay then. You're a slab of meat then. Feel any better?"

"The fuck do you think?" Hissed the pissed off Canadian. He had only been there for a few hours and he was already contemplating chewing off his hands to get out of the chair.

After a few more cuts Tucker got up and walked over to a bench, grabbing a thick cloth. He tied a knot on the middle of the fabric and pushed it into Matthew's mouth, tying the ends together behind the back of his head gaging him. He tugged on the knot a few times to make sure it wouldn't come undone.

"That's a nice tight knot right there…" Muttered Tucker to himself. He then walked back behind Matthew and started to rummage through some boxes and bits of wood and metal.

Matthew's heart was racing in his chest. '_Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. What the hell is he going to do to me?_'

Soon Tucker returned with a hammer and some weird looking platform. The platform was as high as the chair and had a series of leather loops on it along with one loose strap that flopped to the side. There were several bloody spray patterns on it. One could only assume it was some kind of homemade torture device.

Tucker pushed the platform right up against the left arm of the chair where Matthew's hand was overlapping and attempted to push his fingers through the loops. The Canadian gulped and did his best to struggle against it but it didn't matter. Tucker easily pushed Matthew's fingers through the loops and secured his wrist tightly with the loose leather strap. Even if Matthew could pull his fingers out of the loops he wouldn't have been able to escape from the strap that was trapping his wrist.

"Do you get the idea, son?" Growled Tucker as pressed the hammer against Matthew's thumb. "I like to see how long it takes for Tentacula to heal themselves. Shallow cuts take about a day, deep cuts a day and a half and broken bones… Now they take about a week. A little longer if the bones are completely pulverized."

Matthew's eyes went wide with fear. '_No… he wouldn't... Who the fuck am I kidding? He would!_'

With one swift motion Tucker raised the hammer high into the air and bright it down on Matthew's hand with a sickening crack. Matthew threw his head back and screamed, but the gage muffled his cries. Again and again Tucker brought the hammer down on Matthew's hand. Each time a sickening crack, pop or crunch accompanied it.

White hot jolts of fiery pain shot up Matthew's arm with each strike. Never before had he experienced such physical pain before. It was exponentially worse than all the times that he was given those painful injections at Nightingale, because at least there he knew the pain would eventually end. Here, even once Tucker stopped the pain would continue to radiate through his body like a million shards of broken glass encased in fire.

After what seemed like an eternity Tucker stopped and chuckled. "If you're able to recover from this I'll be impressed." He stood up and walked to the steps. "I'll see you tomorrow sometime. I have stuff to do so I might leave you down there for a day or two… depends on how I feel."

When he was gone Matthew just sat their whimpering in pain and agony. Even though Tucker had stopped attacking his hand with the hammer the pain in his hand still seemed to rise.

Matthew swallowed thickly. '_I have to look at it…_' He thought. '_It can't be that bad… right?_'

Slowly, ever so slowly he looked down at his left hand. The sight made him gage. He would have thrown up if it wasn't for the fact that he was wearing the gage and he had nothing in his stomach at all. His hand was a grotesque purple and red colour, parts were turning black, it didn't even really look like a hand anymore, more like a balloon filled with jelly.

He closed his eyes tightly. '_I… I can't believe he did that to me… I'm his son… Okay in retrospect I was going to do something similar to him, but even I wouldn't do something like this to someone. It's just… It's just… It's… It's just monstrous. No human could do something like this and feel no remorse or regret. _'

He took in a few shaky breaths and tried to distract himself from the pain by trying to think of better times; finding Kumajiro, making friends with Carlos, talking to his mother for the first time, having Françoise care for him like he was her son, traveling with Alfred and meeting him again, laughing with Feliks and Gilbert… Reading one of his novels, meeting him for the first time, talking, enjoying his company, slowly falling in love with him, losing his virginity to him and for the first time in a long time fully trusting someone who wasn't a Tentacula.

'_Gilbert… I guess I should have stayed with you._' He thought miserably. '_If I stayed with you I wouldn't be here suffering… But I guess I deserve it right? I mean, I've killed so many people with little to no consequence… This must be some divine punishment from above huh? I can't go through my whole life without consequences…_' He sniffled a little. '_I miss you so much Gilbert…_'

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **… You see, this is what happens when I watch one to many horror movies and or TV shows where hand crushing is involved… please review!


	24. Ring, Ring

**Shinigami-cat: **Hey everyone! Firstly I want to apologize for all the cliff hangers. I just have them so I know where the hell I'm going with the next chapter. Please forgive me… Also forgive me for any offensive terms used in this chapter. I don't approve of calling anyone such degrading terms, anyone who does is quite rude and insensitive… I OWN NOTHING!

**Ring, Ring**

Gilbert's head was pounding; it felt like someone had smashing his skull into a wall repeatedly, his mouth tasted like vomit and he had no idea what happened last night. Tequila was one powerful drink when chugged in one sitting. He pulled the covers over his head and willed the day to pass so that the splitting head ach he had would end.

'_Tequila… not even once…_' He thought miserably. '_Never ever drinking that shit again. I don't like feeling like death… I need to stop thinking… it fucking hurts…_'

If he had a time machine he would go back in time and shoot the bastard that created tequila in the face. It was a horrible drink that made people do and say stupid things, much like other alcohol but people usually ended up hugging the toilet after tequila like the toilet was a fucking pillow.

Just to add insult to injury his phone went off. With a growl the albino reached out and groped the bedside table in search for it. One he had it he put it on speaker and groaned out a greeting. "Who the hell is this and why are you fucking calling me so fucking early in the fucking morning? I have a fucking hangover…"

The sound of a foghorn blasting through his phone made Gilbert jump in shock and clutch his pounding head. The light hearted laugh of a woman followed the horn. "Well it's your own fault that you got wasted last night you lazy bones."

"Bitch, you were the one that wanted this." Hissed Gilbert in mild agony.

Elizabeth laughed again. "I said drinking, not smashed. Take a few pills and put in some earplugs. Be dead to the world for a few hours then get dressed and ready to appear on TV."

Gilbert groaned and rolled onto his side. "Can't I do it later? I'm not up to all this bullshit at the moment…"

He could practically here her rolling her eyes. "Just because you got drunk as a skunk and smashed as Slash doesn't mean that you can shirk off your responsibilities. Get ready for a wonderful night! I'll be picking you up in at seven!" With that Elizabeth hung up.

Gilbert sighed and put his phone back onto the bedside table. He then rummaged through one of the draws and took out some painkillers. He dry swallowed those suckers and shoved in his earplugs. The only noise that would be able to cut through these would be something like a fire alarm or a siren. With a final sigh he rolled onto his stomach and fell into a deep sleep.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Matthew knew he had only been in the basement for a few hours, but it felt like forever. Tucker had amused himself by taking the gag out of Matthew's mouth and running his fingers over the jelly filled balloon that was once Matthew's left hand. He was enjoying the whimpers of pain and small screams that came from the younger male.

Eventually he grew tired of this, so Tucker took a small syringe out of his pocket. It looked dirty, probably carrying some infection. "You know what this is? It's a neurotoxin. Know what a neurotoxin is?"

"Yeah…" Muttered Matthew. "It's a toxin that kills by causing paralysis. Attacking the spinal cord and shutting down the nerves that make people move, breathe and see among other things… It's a painful way to die…"

Tucker grinned. "Yep… Been looking up a bunch of natural neurotoxins. The artificial stuff is shit. I was able to get some samples from a few lovely Australian animals… Blue ringed octopus, paralysis tic and a few other lovely little critters… some snakes and spiders." He pressed the syringe into Matthew's forearm and slowly injected the liquid. "Good thing about this is that one shot of this and you can't use your tentacles for days on end."

The effect was almost immediate. Matthew's body started to shake uncontrollably, his vision started to blot out and breathing became almost impossible. It was like he was trying breathing with a thick, damp woollen rug placed over his mouth. He was gasping to air like a fish out of water.

Tucker grinned. "Must be painful, but don't worry you'll live or die of shock. Though, if you were going to die of shock it would have happened by now." Matthew opened his mouth a little in an attempt to respond, but all that came out was a mess of garbled words and a thick stream of saliva. "Don't talk boy." Hissed Tucker. "Drooling like that, you look like some retard, autistic, fuck faced moron."

After a few moments of silence Tucker looked down at his wrist watch and frowned. "I'll see you in a few hours… I need to get back to work. Don't run off now." He turned walked out of the room leaving Matthew to deal with the excruciatingly painful neurotoxin.

His body would spasm and convulse without control. It hurt. It hurt so much. The pain was made worse in his left hand. The slightest movement in that hand caused new waves of tortuous pain to course through his body. The pain would grow worse with each heartbeat, but the trauma of the experience was making his heart beat faster and faster creating an endless cycle of misery.

Without a clock in the room it was impossible to tell how long he was suffering, but it seemed like years before the pain started to subside and he could start to breath properly again and see relatively well, but he still had almost no control over his muscle spasms.

During these spasms he noticed that his right arm fell off the arm of the chair. He looked down and grinned. His arm was jerking around so much he had actually ripped part of his restraint off. '_Brilliant._' He though. '_Now I might be able to get the hell out of here!_'

Matthew slowly undid the restraints on his legs, leaving his left arm for last. With several carefully selected curses he was able to free his useless hand. He considered cutting it off with one of the many instruments in the basement, but decided against it. Who knew what kind of infection he could get from those things?

Instead he cradled his broken hand and slowly tried to stand up. That was a bad idea. As soon as he was standing his legs just gave out under him and he fell. His broken hand hit the ground hard causing an animalistic shriek of torment to finally rip through his throat. He curled up on the floor and whimpered, clutching the useless appendage close to his chest, his body shaking from the pain and the neurotoxin.

Through his tear filled eyes he looked around the room to try and find something to wrap his hand in, but he found nothing. '_Shit… I'm so fucking useless._' He thought spitefully. '_I can defend myself against people with knives and guns, but if they have a fucking car battery or syringe full of some kind of neurotoxin I'm screwed... Maybe I should just bite off my tongue and be done with it?_'

He chuckled at that thought. How could he ever face his mother in the afterlife if he fucking up the one thing he promised to do for her? He couldn't. If he found a gun it would be helpful, but Tucker didn't seem like the kind of person who would give his victim the comfort of a quick painless death. Instead what he found made his eyes widen in shock. There was an old looking phone attached to the wall covered in dust far off in a back corner. It seemed like it might work, but he had no way of knowing if unless he tried to use it.

Every so slowly, like he was crawling on broken glass he started to crawl over to the phone. Occasionally he would wobble and fall over, but the more he moved the less frequent it became. This made Matthew smile a little. It meant that the neurotoxin was slowly leaving his system.

When he reached the wall where the phone was he slowly pulled himself to his feet and grabbed the phone, but paused. Who was he going to call? '_I… I don't have Feliks's number… and I can't call the cops. They'll arrest me._' He bit his lip. '_Fuck it._'

He put the phone back and used his good hand to dig through his pockets. He pulled out a dirty scrap piece of paper and smiled a little. Hopefully this would work. If it didn't he didn't know what he would do.

With trembling hands Matthew picked up the phone and quickly punched in the numbers. He pressed the phone against his ear and took in several shaky breaths. '_Please pick up Gil._' He thought in a panic. '_Please. Please. Please. Please. Please._'

"You've reached the awesome Gilbert." Came the slightly automated voice of his albino lover. "Leave a message after the beep or whatever."

The beep sounded and Matthew whimpered. "Gilbert… If you're there please pick up… I'm in trouble… deep trouble… I found my papa and… He's insane. He's torturing me. Please Gil… Hurry up and save me already!" The line went dead.

Matthew gulped and slowly turned around to see the thing holding onto a frayed telephone wire. He was smirking and shaking his head. "What a naughty boy… Squirming out of your restrains like that, and making a phone call too? That's just unacceptable."

"Stay the fuck away from me!" Yelled Matthew, pressing himself up against the wall in an attempt to escape from the monster looming over him. "Don't get any closer!"

Tucker laughed. "You afraid of me boy? Who's this Gilbert anyway? Some other Tentacula you know?"

Matthew shook his head. "No… He's…" He stopped himself. He didn't want to tell Tucker about what Gilbert was to him. Instead he started to chuckle. "You know what? I feel sorry for you… You'll never know what it feels like to be in love with someone and have them love you back."

Tucker's eye twitched. "So you're a faggot too? You just get more disgusting by the second."

Matthew grinned and shook his head. "Faggot, literal definition; a bundle of sticks or twigs. A bundle of iron bars. A bundle of anything. If you're going to insult me know what the fuck you're saying. You stupid, paedophilic, rapist, murdering bastard."

Without warning Tucker snapped and Matthew's body was met with a painful barrage of powerful punches and kicks. Matthew felt a rib crack and something rupture. In a matter of seconds it was over and Matthew slowly slid down the wall, blood dripping out of the corners of his mouth, but he didn't give a damn. There was just something satisfying about ripping into his father with words. Anyway he could rip that monster apart was good enough for him.

Matthew didn't even bother to move when he felt Tucker grab him by the hair and slowly dragged him back over to the chair and threw him down in front of it. "Fucking faggot. If your whore of a boyfriend comes by to try and save you, I'm going to slit his throat and feed him whole to the pigs."

Matthew chuckled. "He doesn't even know where I am…"

"You better fucking pray that he never does." Hissed Tucker. He kicked Matthew in the stomach making the younger spit up some blood. "Because as soon as that fucker sets one foot onto my property he's dead."

Matthew just grinned as the blood flowed freely from his mouth. "You shouldn't worry about that… He's probably forgotten all about me. But if he does remember, he just has to give that recording to the police and tell them that I'm in Texas… And I told a Tentacula friend of mine your name. I'm not stupid. I made sure I could be found if I needed to."

Tucker growled and grabbed Matthew by his hair, pulling him to face him. "You're a fucking faggot and a liar. How the fuck did you even know I would be your father you little shit?"

"Years ago several girls mere murdered the same way as mama…" Said Matthew. "You're the only suspect from that case that's still lives on this continent and you were in British Columbia when mama was murdered… Doesn't take a genius to figure it out."

Tucker smirked. "Looks like you inherited your ma's looks but your pa's brains… You got the best from both of us it seems."

"Thank every god that everyone has ever worshiped that I don't look like you!" Said Matthew with a twisted grin. "If I did I'd have to commit suicide!"

Another punch to the face sent Matthew crashing to the floor, landing on his broken hand. Matthew screamed in agony and curled up on himself. He hated this. He hated it all. His only hope was that Gilbert got his message and saved him.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Gilbert officially hated Elizabeth. At six thirty the woman burst into his apartment and jump on him to wake him up. She then forced him into semi-formal attire and practically dragged him out of the building and threw him into a taxi. It didn't help that he was appearing on some book club show where the two hosts constantly fought with each other. Oh well, it made for good TV.

The hosts of this show were actually famous for their arguments. One of the hosts was a burnet male that looked like he was half asleep through the whole thing and constantly had cats crawling all over him, his name was Hercules. The other was another male that constantly wore a white mask over his eyes and just seemed a little too up himself, his name was Sadiq. They usually disagreed on everything and fought and even when they agreed they fought.

At the moment Gilbert was sitting on a chair opposite the two men. He couldn't have cared less about the interview. He just wanted to go home and sleep off the last of his hangover.

"So your book has caused a lot of controversy." Said Sadiq with a smug grin. "How do you react to the people that say you portrayed Shredder as a victim rather than what he really is?"

Gilbert sighed. He knew this question would come up. "Firstly I only call him Shredder once or twice in the whole book, secondly he kind of was a victim. All through his life he's had to endure terrible hardships that he had no control over."

"I disagree with Sadiq." Said Hercules ad he stroked a chubby tabby cat that had jumped up onto his lap.

"Zip it sleeping beauty." Hissed Sadiq. He turned his attention back to Gilbert. "But don't you think everything in here's a little bias?"

Gilbert's eyebrow twitched in slight annoyance. "All the recounts are written from Matthew's perspective but there's information such as police reports to back it up, Coroners reports and newspaper articles too. If there's any bias it's not intentional."

Hercules nodded in agreement. "Unintentional. You just want to cause controversy again."

"At least I talk!" Snapped Sadiq. "You do nothing but play with your pussies!"

Hercules glared at Sadiq. "They are cats… Now why don't you go screw someone phantom of the opera?"

"Okay that's it!" Snapped Sadiq. "This bitch is going down!" The interview was thrown into chaos as the two hosts started to beat the crap out of each other. While this was happening Gilbert got up and walked over to Elizabeth who was watching the whole thing.

"Can I go home now?" He whined.

Elizabeth nodded. "Sure… Besides I want to see how this turns out…"

Gilbert rolled his eyes. For some reason whenever she saw two attractive guys together in any way she assumed that they might be screwing each other. He got a taxi home and checked his answering machine there were three messages. He quickly played them while he went to the kitchen to get a drink. The first two were from Elizabeth but the last one was from Matthew.

"Gilbert… If you're there please pick up… I'm in trouble… deep trouble… I found my papa and… He's insane. He's torturing me. Please Gil… Hurry up and save me already!" His voice was distorted and crackly like he was using a phone with bad reception but worst of all he sounded like he was in pain.

Gilbert started to panic. "Birdie? Oh shit!" He had to find Matthew now. He gulped and quickly picked his brain for anything he could use to find Matthew. All he knew was that Matthew was probably in Texas to try and kill his dad and it had gone horribly wrong. Was there anyone he could talk to that actually knew about Matthew? Françoise was out, she was dead. Alfred was out, he didn't know Matthew's past too well.

'_Shit I need to think… Who would a Tentacula trust with their secrets?_' He thought in frustration. Suddenly it hit him like a ton of bricks. '_Other Tentacula… I need to find Feliks._'

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Finally Gilbert goes to save him! Please review!


	25. Planning

**Shinigami-cat: **Okay people… I think everyone is getting confused about cliff hangers and stuff. I do my best not to leave them, but sometimes I don't see things as cliff hangers and others do… so please stop freaking out about those things… I OWN NOTHING!

**Planning**

The next day Gilbert was furiously knocking on his brother's door. "WEST!" He yelled. "OPEN UP RIGHT NOW!"

A few seconds later Feliciano opened the door. He was wearing what looked like one of Ludwig's button up shirts… that was it. He looked very tired. "Ve? Why are you here so early Gilbert?"

"I need to talk to West." Said Gilbert. "Now!"

Feliciano yawned and let Gilbert in. "He's in the shower."

Gilbert nodded and quickly moved into the bathroom. He opened the door and looked inside. "West! I need to talk to you now!"

Ludwig growled and opened the shower curtain and poked his head out at his brother. "What the hell? Get out!"

"But I need your help!" Cried Gilbert frantically.

"Give me five minutes!" Snapped Ludwig. "Just get out!" Gilbert huffed and walked out, slamming the door shut. Not long after Ludwig walked back out fully dressed, though his hair was still a little damp. "Now, what do you want?"

"Remember how Matthew was friends with Feliks?" Asked Gilbert. "Well I need to know where Feliks is living now."

Ludwig frowned. "Why do you need to know that?"

"Personal reason." Snapped Gilbert. He grabbed Ludwig's shirt and shook him. "You! Address! Now! Or! My! Fist! Goes! In! Your! Face!"

Ludwig pushed Gilbert away, glaring at him. "What the hell is wrong with you? I don't know where he's living anymore! We don't keep tabs on Tentacula like that! Feliks didn't want us to know where he was living. He just gave us the building."

"Good! I want that!" Said Gilbert. He needed to find Matthew as soon as possible.

"Why do you need to know?" Snapped Ludwig. "You can't just barge in here and demand to find out where Feliks is for no reason!"

"I said I have personal reasons!" Cried Gilbert. "Tell me where the fuck Feliks is! I have to find Matthew before he gets killed!" He gasped and cupped his hands over his mouth. He had said too much.

An awkward silence filled the apartment. "What?" Snapped Ludwig. "You know where Matthew is? You told the police you knew nothing!"

"So I lied!" Growled Gilbert. He didn't want to spend ages on this. He was in a rush. He had to find Matthew now. "It's not like you've never lied before! Besides you would have done the same for Feliciano!"

"That's completely different!" Yelled Ludwig. "Feliciano and I are a couple! You and Matthew aren't!" Gilbert blushed a little and looked away. Ludwig gasped. "You didn't… You did… Gilbert you idiot!"

"Shut up!" Snapped a rather flustered Gilbert. "I love him okay? I have no idea if he actually love me, but he trusted me enough to call me last night begging me to save him from his insane father! I need to find him now and the only way I can do that is if I can find Feliks! I'm sure Matthew told him something!"

Ludwig shook his head. "Gilbert… you are an idiot… It doesn't matter if Matthew's in love with you or not. Tentacula are similar to penguins or swans. Once they mate they mate for life! Studies have shown that humans that have mated with Tentacula become very attached to them."

"Like you and Feliciano?" Asked Gilbert. "Look, I don't need this bullshit! I need to find Matthew now! Tell me where Feliks is!"

"I can't do that." Said Ludwig as calmly as possible. "But if you know anything about Matthew you need to tell the police."

"Just tell him." Said Feliciano softly. "Even if the police find Matthew they'll kill him on sight… You've studied the effect that has on Tentacula and humans. Do you really want Gilbert to suffer like that?"

"What happens?" Asked Gilbert.

Feliciano looked down at his feet and shuffled nervously. "Well… Tentacula usually stay by the grave of their loved one for the rest of their lives, not moving at all, or eating… it's a terrible fate to die next to the grave of a loved one… Humans do something similar, but they usually end up committing suicide."

Gilbert's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me? Is that true?"

Ludwig nodded. "Ja, it's true… But there's still a lot of research to do on the subject…"

"Ve, but there's some other bad things!" Said Feliciano. "Tentacula and humans get really stressed and anxious when they are away from each other for too long… Felt that way about Matthew?"

"More depressed than anything." Muttered Gilbert. He frowned and shook his head. "But that doesn't matter. I need to find Feliks. Just tell me which building he's in already! Come one West, I'm begging you here!"

Ludwig frowned as he looked between his brother and his lover. He gritted his teeth and sighed in frustration. "Fine… I'll tell you which building he's living in…"

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

In a matter of minutes of getting the building where Feliks was currently living Gilbert was off. It would take him about two hours to get there, but eventually he got there, and after checking with the lady at reception he was knocking on his door.

'_Come on Feliks… Open up._'

After a few seconds Feliks opened up the door and grinned. "Like OMG! What are you doing here Gilbert?" He ushered Gilbert inside. "Toris is like out at the moment, but like what can I do for you? Feels like forever since we like saw each other."

"Yeah…" Muttered Gilbert. "Hey um… has Matthew called you at all?"

Feliks shook his head. "I like, didn't have time to give him my number or address… Why?"

Gilbert frowned a little. If he was blunt with everything and just asked Feliks the name of Matthew's dad there might be some complications. He would have to play it safe for now. "No reason… What was Matthew like when you first met him?"

Feliks sighed and flopped down onto the couch. "Like OMG! You would like seriously not believe it! He was like an animal, like one of those ones that's super afraid of humans, and I like mean super afraid! It like took me a month to convince him to move from the far corner of his bed… But after that we like swapped stories and before they fixed his medication he taught me some cool tricks."

Gilbert sat next to Feliks. "What kind of tricks?"

Feliks grinned. "So he could like still use his tentacles a little while they were fixing his meds and he showed me how to make blades and stuff… Then there's this." Feliks opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue. In a matter of seconds he changed the shape to make it look similar to a sea anemone.

"What the fuck?" Cried Gilbert in shock. "That's freaky!"

Feliks grinned. "I know right? He just did it for shits and giggles, but it's actually really good for oral sex."

Gilbert face palmed. "I didn't need to know that…"

"Well, like now you do." Said Feliks with a grin. "Because knowing is growing."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Yeah anyway… did Matthew tell you anything about his dad?"

"Yeah…" Muttered Feliks darkly. "I like, hate him. He's like such a bastard. I'm totally shocked that Matthew turned out as well as he like, did."

"Yeah… What's his name?" Asked Gilbert.

Feliks raised an eyebrow. "Matthew's dad?" The blond thought hard. "James… Turner? Turbot? No it had a K in it somewhere… James Tucker? Yeah I think that's his name. Why do you want to know?"

"Matthew called me last night." Muttered Gilbert. "He's in trouble Feliks… Big trouble. His dad's torturing him… Matthew sounded like he was on his last legs. That's why I needed to know what his name was… So thanks, but I got to go." He quickly stood up and went to the door.

"Like wait up!" Called Feliks. He grabbed Gilbert's arm and turned him around. "Matthew like totally told me some of the stuff he did… If you're going to get him you'll need a gun. He is like, a monster. A real monster."

Gilbert gulped a little and nodded. "Okay. Thanks." He walked out of the apartment and quickly grabbed his phone and called up Elizabeth. "Hey Liz, be a dear and book me a one way ticket to Texas… Oh and where can I pick up a gun without the whole waiting a week thing?"

He could practically hear Elizabeth's jaw dropping. "What?"

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Matthew's broken hand was slowly starting to heal. It still looked like a balloon filled with jelly, but it wasn't as swollen as before. The only good thing about his situation was that Tucker had decided to leave him on the floor instead of putting him back in the chair. That would have been torture.

'_I wonder what day it is…_' He thought quietly to himself. Matthew closed his eyes and sighed softly. '_If I could use my tentacles I would butcher that man._'

Matthew was starting to think that Tucker might be thinking of keeping him alive for a while, if the water bowl and bowl of some uncooked meat were anything to go by. He slowly dragged himself over to the water bowl and drank a little, using his hand as a cup. He drank just enough to quench his thirst.

He hadn't bothered to even try walking again in case his legs gave out again and he fell. His hand was mangled enough without him falling on it again. Out of pure curiosity Matthew looked into the food bowl to see what kind of meat was in there. It still had some of the skin from the animal on it. He touched the skin and frowned. "Of course it's pork."

As much as he hated to admit it the pork actually looked good and compared to a lot of things he's eaten over the years, it was probably one of the cleanest things too, despite being uncooked. He licked his lips a little as he looked at the chunk of flesh. '_It could be laced with poison… but then again… Screw it. I haven't eaten in a week._'

He picked up the chunk of mean and bit into it, cutting off a chunk with his teeth. He didn't bother to chew it. He hated the taste of blood on his tongue. Instead he opted for the crocodile way of eating; ripping off chunks of flesh and swallowing said chunks whole. Matthew had learnt how to do this technique at a young age. It was quite a valuable skill to eat something as quickly as possible as to not taste it when living alone with no means to cook.

Pretty soon all the meat was gone and Matthew sighed in satisfaction. It may not have been the best meal in the world, but it was the first meal he had eaten in six months that had filled him up.

Matthew chuckled in a sick sort of way. He could feel the blood from his meal running down his chin. It didn't matter if he wiped his chin because he couldn't clean himself and even though he had the water to do so and he didn't feel like adding a metallic taste to his only source of drinking water.

Suddenly the creak of the wooden floor boards above his head made him shudder. Tucker was back. Matthew didn't know if it was out of fear or impulse but he quickly moved under a table and started shaking horrible. '_Shit, shit, shit. What's he going to do to me?_'

The door to the basement slammed open. "BOY!" Bellowed Tucker as he marched down the steps causing them to quake. "WHAT DID YOU DO BOY? WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?"

Matthew whimpered a little and started to shake harder. He had no idea what had made Tucker so angry. Perhaps he was drunk? He didn't want to know. Out of fear Matthew desperately tried to pick his brain for an answer as to what he had done. '_What did I do? I couldn't have done anything right? I mean I didn't even go into town before I came here!_'

Tucker's boots stopped right in front of Matthew's hiding spot. As Matthew prayed for him to walk away Tucker crouched down and grabbed Matthew's leg, dragging him out. He looked like he was ready to murder him. When Matthew was out in the open he grabbed him by the neck and started to strangle him. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO BOY?" He screamed again. "WHY DOES LILY KNOW ABOUT YOU? WHY DOES SHE THINK YOU ARE HERE?"

Matthew gasped for air and clawed at Tucker's hands with his one good one. '_What did I do?_' He thought. '_Who's Lily?_'

Tucker pushed Matthew to the ground and kicked him in the stomach. "Why does Lily think I'm your uncle?" He growled. "That bitch and her brother were in my shop earlier and asked me about you. Said that she gave you a lift here! What the fuck? Couldn't a fucking murderer like you at least get rid of all evidence? That includes people you dumb shit!"

Matthew started to cough violently and shake. '_I remember now… She's a nice girl…_'

"Some fucking killer you are!" Snapped Tucker. "Boy, you can't kill for shit! What's with all that blood? Like the meal I left you?" He sneered. He pulled a knife out of his pocket and grinned sadistically. "You're smart kid, but you aren't as smart as your old man. You got to learn how to dispose of a body in a way no one will find it!"

Matthew whimpered a little and shifted away from the crazed maniac towering above him. '_I'm going to die._' He thought in a panic. '_I'm going to die. I'm going to die._'

Tucker grabbed Matthew's good arm and pulled him up. "Come on boy."

He hissed darkly. He grabbed Matthew over to a work bench covered in straps. It was easy for him to tie up Matthew's good arm and a piece of cake to tie up his bad one. Once he was secure Tucker slipped his arm up the back of Matthew's shirt and cut it open with the knife, leaving his back fully exposed.

Tucker chuckled darkly. "Well, well, well… What happened here? Looks like someone's done a number on your back." He lightly touched the puncture marks, burns and rubbed raw skin. "Whore yourself out?"

Matthew bit his lip and looked down at the wooden bench. "Hospital stuff…" He looked over his shoulder. "What are you going to do to me?"

Tucker grinned sadistically. "If you're thinking that I'm going to put something in your ass you're mistaken." He walked over to the shelf and took out a black plastic box. He put it on the bench next to Matthew's head and opened it. He removed a pair of industrial gloves, a glass eye dropper and a beaker full of a clear liquid.

Matthew gulped and started to pull at his restraints. '_If that's what I think it is I need to get out of here!_'

Tucker smirked as he filled the eye dropper with the liquid. He casually held the dropper over the table and let a small drop hit it, burning the wood. "Just some acid I got from a car battery… Burns the flesh ever so perfectly and beautifully… I just love the way it eats away the skin, muscle and bone… Be happy that I'm putting this on your back and not your tongue to shut you up for good."

He dropped several droplets of acid onto Matthew's back. The Canadian screamed in pain as the acid ate away at his skin. If the pain was any worse he would pass out from the intensity. '_Please!_' He thought desperately. '_Please let me die! Please! I-I can't take it anymore! Where are you Gilbert? Why haven't you saved me yet?_'

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Yes I'm going to be horrible and leave it here! You know why? Because that's just how I do things! Please review!


	26. Asphyxiate and Watch Me Bleed

**Shinigami-cat: **Hey everyone! Okay, so just to let you all know my stories are all my idea (unless I've mentioned otherwise like previous chapters and or stories). But yeah, sometimes I do take small ideas from crime shows and other horror based stuff. I try to make my stories seem as realistic as possible because they seem to engage more with the viewing audience AKA you wonderful people out there! :D Anyway… I OWN NOTHING!

**Asphyxiate and Watch Me Bleed**

The burns on Matthew's back stung so badly he couldn't move from his position on the floor. It had been three days since Tucker had dropped acid on his back, but the wounds didn't feel like they were healing at all. The acid hadn't caused too much damage, it was only skin deep in most cases but there were a few burns on his shoulders and hips that worried him. They just seemed to fester and rot his healthy skin away, leaving nothing but muscle and rotted flesh.

'_I'm going to die aren't I?_' Matthew thought pitifully. '_Damn it… Looks like I lost this time… Wonder if reincarnation is real? Wonder what I'll become in the next life…_' Matthew had always been fascinated with the idea of being reborn again as something else.

If he was to be reborn he hoped that he would be something like a bird. Birds were free spirits and flew from place to place in groups. To be with a loving family for his whole life was nothing more than a comforting dream. He chuckled at that thought. After all the things he had done in his relatively short life he would be lucky enough to become a fly if he was reborn.

Matthew looked down at his broken and smiled a little. It was slowly starting to fix itself, although it was now slightly deformed; his knuckles were more prominent then before and his fingers seemed to be healing in a way so that they curled in on themselves like a birds claw.

He bit his lip a little. If he attempted to fix the problem now it would be unbearably painful but if he left it the hand would be impossible to use in the future. This was a lose, lose situation. He sighed sadly, deciding to leave his hand as it was.

His back started to itch and he cursed himself. Matthew really needed to scratch, but by doing so he would open up deeper wounds and bleed to death in one of the slowest, most agonizing ways. Instead he wrapped his arms around himself and shuddered. Revenge wasn't worth this.

Even if he was to get free and torture his father there was no way he would have done it for this long or with this level of sadism. He would have abused the man of course, but he would have ended it after a few hours. He didn't take enjoyment in killing people, but he had always believed that karma would always come around in the end.

The door to the basement swung open again and Tucker entered again, bringing with him a length of rope. Matthew whimpered as he watched him work. Tucker tied a noose and threw the other end over a support beam above them. When the noose was ready he turned to Matthew and grinned sadistically.

"Get up boy." He hissed. When Matthew didn't move he growled and grabbed his arms and tied them behind his back. The salt from his skin stung the wounds on his back and the rope was like sandpaper. He pulled Matthew up and shoved his head through the noose and pulled on it so it was nice and tight. He them started to pull on the rope so that Matthew was on the tips of his toes.

Matthew whimpered in pain, from his back, his hands and his neck the lack of oxygen. His arms became numb, as did his legs. Matthew hated it all. The lack of oxygen stopped him from moving his arms, conserving the air his just his heart and brain, but it was still enough to keep him conscious.

Tucker chuckled. "How's it hanging boy?" He asked mockingly. He slapped Matthew's back making the younger whine in pain. This just made him chuckle again. "You know… there's this old Japanese form of torture or maybe it's Chinese?" He shook his head. "Either way it roughly translates to something along the lines of _A thousand cuts. _The basic principle is that you get a knife and cut of small strips of skin… keeping the victim alive for as long as possible without them bleeding to death." He picked up a knife from the table and grinned.

Matthew gulped as he watched Tucker. '_So this is how I'm going to die…_' He thought. '_Cut up into tiny bits and fed to pigs… Well at least my body won't be a complete waste._'

Tucker watched Matthew's face grinning wildly. "Afraid boy? No? You should be!" He snapped. He pressed the tip of the blade against Matthew's jaw. "You freaks heal fifty times faster than a human… Doesn't mean it won't sting like a bitch!" He pressed the tip against his jaw and slowly dug into the skin. Being careful he managed to cut a perfect circle of skin out of Matthew's cheek, leaving all the muscle intact.

As he cut away at random parts of his skin, Matthew whimpered but did his best to stay calm. He couldn't afford to lose any oxygen due to panicking. He just did his best to concentrate on hearing the blood rush past his ears and not the sickening and ragged squelch that only a blade against soft flesh could make.

'_Kill me._' He thought. '_Just hurry up and kill me. Stop making me live through this. Does torturing people for days and days on end give you some sick pleasure?_'

Soon, but not soon enough Tucker stopped cutting him and bent down to collect the flaps of skin off the floor. Matthew counted about thirty pieces, all different shapes and sizes. "This'll be good food for the pigs." He muttered. "They just love Tentacula meat. They are addicted to it. Something in your blood just makes their mouths water." He cut Matthew down and kicked him hard in the stomach, making Matthew skid across the floor and go into mild convulsions. Tucker just laughed and left the room.

Slowly, Matthew regained his senses and looked down at himself, shuddering. There were so many bloody patches all over his body. He felt like a broken rag doll that needed to be thrown away. The longer he lived was just another moment of painful existence. '_Just… just let me die already. Why can't I just die?_'

But he was already painfully aware of the answer. He hadn't suffered enough for the crimes he had committed. He just had to accept it. All the pains of the world, all the suffering, all the hate, the misery and the hopelessness of humanity was being poured onto him as punishment for what he had done. This cycle of hell was never going to end… but maybe he could take Tucker's final victory away from him by taking his own life.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Illegal firearms were easy enough to come by, after all it was freaking Texas. Finding some scumbag that wanted to get rid of a weapon because it was used in less than legal activity was good enough for Gilbert. All he had to do was look in the right places.

Gilbert had managed to get his hands on a semiautomatic handgun, and spent the best part of three days looking for any and all James Tucker's living in Texas. Now he didn't have time to search for every James Tucker living in Texas so Gilbert tried to me smart and use the same technique that Matthew used to find him.

So safe inside his crappy motel Gilbert was surfing the internet to attempt to find anything about the murders concerning the girls Matthew was talking about. It was hell, but from what he could find there were three James Tuckers that lived in the perfect environment for a murderer.

Two lived near the boards closer to New Mexico, but remembering the words that Matthew had said, about wanting to escape to Mexico, to have a new beginning (also those two particular James Tucker's happened to have ethnic backgrounds that Matthew didn't seem to inherit at all). He assumed that Tucker lived near a place closer to Mexico. Only one James had fit that description.

This James Tucker was currently living in a small town where he owned a very large property near the border of Mexico. With the use of Google maps he was also able to see how large this particular property was. He was a little surprised to see that Tucker owned a large pen of pigs.

Gilbert frowned. '_How fitting. Pigs for a pig._' He remembered a killer he was interested in interviewing at one point in time, he had allegedly hacked out the womb or several women and fed the bodies to the pigs he owned. The only way the police were even able to charge him with every murder was the fact that the killer had kept the wombs for himself as a sick and twisted display of macabre horror.

He sighed a little and quickly looked over what he had. It would take the better part of the night to get there, but he didn't mind. He wanted to rescue Matthew as soon as possible. He would have gotten to Texas sooner if it wasn't for Elizabeth being all suspicious of his motives.

He closed his laptop and quickly stuffed everything he had into his backpack. That included his laptop, an extra jacket, his wallet and the gun. With that he quickly called up a taxi and walked outside to get picked up.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Gilbert arrived in the town a few hours earlier than he expected, just before sunset. It was a little eerie to suddenly step into this rural area at such a time, but it wasn't like he had much choice in the matter. He payed the cab driver and got out of the taxi. The town seemed pretty quiet to say the least. It was hard to believe that a killer could live in such a quiet place, then again it was always in the places one least suspected that had the most dangerous of criminals.

He sighed and started to walk down the street. It was getting late, if he couldn't find were Tucker lived now he would have to start looking in the morning. It wasn't ideal, but that's all he could really do. He didn't even know for sure if this guy even had Matthew.

Though he did have a gut feeling that Matthew was close by. He kept his head down as he walked. '_Let's see… I need to figure out where the fuck Tucker is keeping Matthew, shoot the fucker and get Matthew the hell out of there… But he said he was getting tortured. Shit, he'll need to go to a hospital and then the cops will get called and he'll go to jail… Fucking fantastic._'

Gilbert was so wrapped up in his thoughts he didn't even notice the woman who was standing in front of him and bumped into her. "Shit, sorry about that."

The woman smiled. "It's okay. No harm done… Are you a tourist by any chance?"

"Sort of." Said Gilbert. He looked over the woman in front of him; average height, short blond hair, soft green eyes and a purple bow in her hair. She looked like a real sweet heart. "Is there a place I can stay for the night around here?"

The woman shook her head. "Sorry. Unless you have family living here you're kind of stuffed."

Gilbert frowned. "Oh… Know a relatively rat free alleyway I can crash in for the night?"

The woman smiled and laughed. "Don't be silly. I'm sure my brother won't mind if you crash in out barn for the night."

"Thanks." Said Gilbert. "My name's Gilbert."

"Lily." She said. "And just for reference my big brother's name is Vash."

Gilbert grinned. "Okay… But you seem a little too trusting of strangers Lily."

Lily smiled sweetly. "Before our father passed away he taught the both of us how to shoot to kill and basic combat training. I've taken down men three times as big as you without breaking a sweat. You're no threat to me." She walked over to her truck and climbed in. "You coming or did you change your mind?"

Gilbert grinned and jumped into the truck with her. Lily seemed like a pretty awesome chick. Reminded him a little of Elizabeth but way more feminine and less likely to beat the crap out of him. As they drove down the road Lily started talking about some of the places he should visit before leaving town.

"The desert is really cold at night this time of year, but you can get some rather thick jackets at second-hand shop." She said happily. "It's right next to Tucker's hardware shop."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "What kind of stuff does Tucker sell?"

"The usual things." Said Lily happily. "Hammer's, nails, power tools, some planks of wood, rope, razor wire, bags of cement and harder to find things like buckles and sometimes leather. That sort of stuff… That's his place up there." She pointed out Gilbert's window at a two story, rickety old looking house.

Gilbert frowned and nodded slowly, looking over the house with a critical eye. '_Has an attic but that's a shit place to torture someone… ideal for storing but not torturing… Possibly a room in there somewhere in the house… or the basement. Yeah, the basement is good. Easy to access, easy to sound proof. It's just easier in general… I could probably risk going in there tonight or go tomorrow… Fuck it. I have to get him out of there as soon as possible._'

"Are you okay Gilbert?" Asked Lily. "You seem a little… stressed."

"Traveling nonstop for several hours can do that to a person." Said Gilbert.

Lily nodded and pulled into her driveway. The house she lived in was similar to Tucker's house, but was newer, had a garden and just had a much more pleasant feel to it. "Where are you going?" She asked.

"I'm visiting… a friend." Said Gilbert as he got out of the truck. "He called me a few days ago and asked if I could come over. Who am I to say no?"

Lily grinned and got out of the truck and walked over to the front door. "You're a good friend. Oh, it looks like Vash is home." She opened the door and walked inside. "Vash! We have a visitor. Make him feel welcome."

Gilbert chuckled to himself and followed Lily inside. The house was pretty modestly decorated. It was nice. It had a very pleasant feel to it. '_Wonder what this Vash guy is like?_'

After about ten seconds a man that looked strikingly similar to Lily appeared at the foot of the staircase holding a shot gun. The look on his face was hard to decipher but Gilbert could tell he was pissed off. "So who is this?" Asked Vash harshly.

"This is Gilbert." Said Lily happily. "Don't worry he's sleeping in the barn. He just needs a place for the night."

Vash frowned as he glared at Gilbert, his green eyes boring into Gilbert's red ones. "You're that writer…" He muttered. "Shouldn't you be writing another book?"

Lily's eyes went wide. "You're a writer? What do you write?"

"Biographies on serial killers." Said Gilbert simply. "And to answer your question Vash, I'm taking some time to relax and travel abroad. I do that from time to time to clear my head."

Vash nodded. "Okay. Stay in the barn for one night only, and don't expect any breakfast. We don't have enough money to feed three mouths… and if you even think about touching my sister I will shoot you." With that he turned and walked back up stairs.

"… Nice brother you got there." Said Gilbert sarcastically.

"He's just over protective." Said Lily as she walked into the kitchen. "The back door is out here. You can see the barn from the window. Do you want anything to eat?"

Gilbert shook his head as he walked into the kitchen. "Just give me a torch and I'll be good for the night… There is hay in there right?"

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

When it was finally dark Gilbert made his move; he left the barn with the torch in hand and gun in the other. He started the long walk to Tucker's property. Even from the distance he could see that there were a few lights in Tucker's house. It didn't take him too long to walk there, a little under half an hour.

When he got close to the house he turned off the torch and started to look for a way in or something to either prove or disprove that Matthew was there. He walked around to the back of the house, near where the pig pen was to try and find a way in. There was a small window covered up by newspaper right near the bottom of the house, it looked like a basement window. He crouched down to get a closer look at it.

A corner of it had peeled away slightly to revel a small portion of the basement. Gilbert couldn't see much, just blood on the floor. He gulped. '_Shit. I should have gotten hear earlier._'

He quickly got up and walked over to the back door and turned the lock. Either by chance, luck or divine intervention the door was unlocked. He looked inside, keeping his hand on the gun he carefully walked in. Downstairs everything was quiet and dark. He had learnt a lot of things by talking to serial killers. He knew where to go, what to do and how to act no matter what the situation. It was a disturbing but true reality.

With cat-like tread Gilbert slowly moved about the lower level of the house. Judging by the lack of noise Gilbert could assume that Tucker was asleep or at least upstairs. After a minute or two he found the basement door. It creaked a little when he opened it, but it didn't seem loud enough to wake or alert anyone to his presence.

With the door opened, Gilbert carefully walked down the steps. The bowed a little under his weight, but not too much. As he slowly descended the steps he happened to hear whimpering from whoever or whatever was down there. When he saw what was down there he felt like he was going to be sick. It was like something out of a horror movie, but then again he had heard of far more horrific torture chambers.

Hearts, stomachs, lungs and all manner of organs filled different shelfs of a book case, a chair covered in several leather straps that was hooked up to a car battery, there were several other instruments of torture with similar looking construction around the place. But the thing that disturbed Gilbert the most was the bloodied, mangled body of his lover curled up on the floor.

He quickly moved to him and crouched down next to him. "Matthew, please wake up. I came to get you… Please don't be dead."

Slowly Matthew looked up at Gilbert before dropping his head and letting it hit the concrete. "Just a dream…" He muttered sadly.

"No I'm real." Said Gilbert quickly. He reached out and gently touched Matthew's uncut cheek. "Birdie, I got your message. I'm here to save you. I'll get you out of here… What did he do to you?"

Tears started to slowly fill Matthew's eyes. "He… he injected me with a neurotoxin... acid down my back… he broke my hand… he cut me, strangled me and beat me… I can't use my tentacles anymore. The neurotoxin is too strong."

Gilbert bit his lip in frustration. How dare Tucker do that to Matthew. Matthew didn't deserve any of this from him. "We need to get you to a hospital."

"No one is going anywhere." Growled Tucker. He was standing at the bottom of the steps, pointing the barrel of his shot gun right at Gilbert's back. "Get the fuck away from my son, trespasser."

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **Before you all get angry at me for this cliff hanger please remember I am a very evil person! Also I just about murdered myself over this chapter. It frustrated me so freaking much! I was just about ready to strangle my computer over it! Please review.


	27. Monsters, Death and New Life

**Shinigami-cat: **So hey everyone… Here's the next chapter it's a long one. Also I was listening to '_Rosemary's baby_' by _Fantomas_ while writing this. It's very creepy and I recommend it for Halloween… I OWN NOTHING!

**Monsters, Death and New Life**

Gilbert glared at the monster that was James Tucker. He didn't care that he was staring down the barrel of a shot gun. He had seen scarier things in his life. "You have no right to call Matthew your son." He hissed. "You gave up that right to call him that the day to abducted his mother."

Tucker growled darkly. "That little shit shouldn't even be alive. Who the fuck are you anyway?"

The albino gripped his gun tightly in his hand. "Gilbert." He snapped.

Tucker smirked. "So you're the little whore's faggot boyfriend? I hate fags almost as much as I hate Tentacula."

"Technically I'm bisexual." Said Gilbert. "But who really gives a shit at this point in time?"

Tucker shrugged. "Bisexual, bestiality, Tentacula, incest, homosexual… It's all disgusting and wrong in my book. Now you're going to slide that gun across the floor or Matthew gets covered in your brain tissue. All I have to do is pull a trigger. You have to aim."

Gilbert frowned. He knew Tucker was right. Reluctantly he put his gun on the ground and slid it towards Tucker. '_This is bullshit. I swear I'll fucking kill him if he even tries to touch Matthew again. Sick freak._'

Tucker grinned and kicked the gun away. "Good… Now stand up and turn around."

"Don't do it." Whispered Matthew. "It's a trap."

"I don't have all night!" Snapped Tucker. "Get up and turn around now or I will shot your legs off!"

Gilbert looked down at Matthew and smiled a little. "It's okay Birdie. I'll be fine." He slowly stood up and turned so that his back was facing Tucker. When he was turned around Tucker slammed the side of the gun into Gilbert's back and grabbed his by the back of the head before he fell over. Gilbert hissed a little in pain as Tucker dragged him over to the chair and hit him one more time in the head to stun him before he tied Gilbert to the chair and unhooked the car battery.

"Current can give a human a heart attack." He muttered. Tucker sighed a little as he looked between the two of them. "The fuck am I going to do with you two now?"

"I'm guessing letting us go is out of the question." Muttered Gilbert.

"Shut the fuck up." Snapped Tucker. "If either of you two tries to escape, I'll brutally murder the other. Got it?" He walked back up the steps and slammed the door shut.

When he was gone Gilbert sighed. "Well… That could have gone better…" He looked over at Matthew and frowned, he was attempting to get up but was shaking horribly. "Don't push yourself. If you're in pain don't move."

Matthew shook his head as he slowly crawled over to Gilbert, putting his good hand over Gilbert's. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry about everything…"

Gilbert smiled a little. "It's okay Matthew. All that matters is that I'm with you… I'm sorry that I couldn't keep you safe."

Matthew shrugged. "I deserve this…"

"Don't you ever think that!" Snapped Gilbert. He hated how Matthew continuously looked down on himself. "It doesn't matter what anyone's done, past, present or future. No one deserves to go through what you've been through! You may think that you're a monster that has to be punished but you're not! I've met serial killers who are a million times worse than you! They kill and torture for fun! They murder to satisfy feelings of blood lust and impotence! You've done none of that, so don't ever say that you deserve all the shit that's happened in your life because you don't!"

Matthew smiled a little but it didn't reach his eyes. "Okay Gilbert… I'll try to get you out of here… It'll just take a while because I can't really use one hand." Slowly, Matthew began the long process of freeing Gilbert. When he was able to free one of his hands Gilbert could do the rest.

When he was free Gilbert reached out to hug Matthew, but stopped himself. The wounds on his back and arms would sting if he touched them. Instead he steeled for kissing Matthew's forehead. "I should probably try to clean your back… Some of your skin is going a little green around the edges."

Matthew nodded a little. "Okay… but there's really nothing to clean it with…"

Gilbert shrugged and got up. He walked over to the shelf of body parts and started to look through them to see if he could find a bottle of disinfectant. Instead he found a box of clean rags and a bottle of iodine. He bit his lip a little nervously. "Hey Matthew… I found some iodine and some clean rags… It's going to hurt like a bitch, but it'll clean your back up."

"Okay." Said Matthew. "I don't mind…"

Gilbert sat next to Matthew with the chemicals and rags and kissed his gently on the lips. "Turn around. It'll make this easier." Reluctantly the blond turned away and locked eyes with the floor. Gilbert could feel his heart breaking and was almost certain Matthew could hear it.

With a small sigh Gilbert opened the bottle of iodine and tipped a small amount onto a clan rag before carefully dabbing it against the more infected areas of Matthew's back. He watched as Matthew flinched and shifted a little, unable to get used to the feeling. "It really hurts." Whispered the blond.

"I know." Said Gilbert softly. "I'm sorry, but if I don't do this you could get blood poisoning."

As Gilbert continued to clean Matthew's back he couldn't help but notice the odd way some of his muscles moved. It was like there was something crawling just under the fibres, threatening to break out at any second. It was a little creepy, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was cleaning Matthew's wounds.

It took a while, but eventually Gilbert was able to clean them all. When he was done he kissed Matthew again. "I'm sorry about everything."

"It's my fault." Said Matthew quietly. "If I didn't call you, you wouldn't be here…"

"If it wasn't for me we wouldn't have met at all." Said Gilbert. "I was the one that interviewed you, not the other way around." He had Matthew stumped there. "We'll get out of this." He said. "I promise you we will."

"Gil… I'm scared."

"It's okay." Said Gilbert reassuringly. "I won't let him hurt you again."

"I don't care about myself!" Cried Matthew. "I don't care if I live or die anymore! But… I'm scared about what he might do to you… Before he kept saying how he was going to murder you… I don't want you to die."

Gilbert smiled and ran his fingers through Matthew's hair. "Neither of us are going to die. We are going to make through this." Matthew sighed sadly and leaned against Gilbert's chest, cringing slightly at the contact. "Maybe you shouldn't…"

"Six months." Muttered Matthew. "We've been apart for six months and when we're together again you don't even want me to be close to you? I don't care if it hurts… I missed you… Hug me please?"

Gilbert couldn't refuse Matthew. He wrapped his arms around younger blond and held him close. He hated how Matthew winced slightly in his arms but didn't move away. "I'm sorry." He whispered quietly into Matthew's ear. "I'm so sorry about everything he's done to you."

"It doesn't matter." Said Matthew. "I should have been paying better attention…" Slowly his eyes drifted shut. "Please… don't let me go. I don't want to lose you again…"

Gilbert smiled and gently ran his fingers through Matthew's hair. "You won't lose me again Birdie. I promise you that."

After a few minutes Matthew was fast asleep, clinging tightly onto Gilbert's shirt. The albino shifted slightly so that he was laying on his back and Matthew was resting on top of his chest. He sighed inwardly. '_Damn it… We are so fucked, but I have to protect Matthew. I can't let Tucker hurt him anymore._' With a heavy heart and worry plaguing him, Gilbert slowly fell into an uneasy sleep.

Morning came all too quickly for Gilbert as he was literally pulled out of sleep by a furious looking Tucker. "FUCKING FAG!" He screamed in his face before throwing him into the chair. The force was so strong one of the legs fell of the chair causing it to topple over.

Gilbert groaned as his mind was quickly flooded with last night's events. '_The fuck? Oh crap! Matthew!_'

He looked up in time to see Tucker stomping on Matthew's chest, causing the skin around the wounds of his chest to rip and bleed heavily. "FUCKING FAG!" He screamed again. "I FUCKING WAKE UP AND FIND YOU TWO SLEEPING TOGETHER! HOW DARE YOU TWO DO SOMETHING SO DISGUSTING IN MY HOUSE YOU LITTLE SHIT! I BET IT WAS ALL YOUR IDEA TOO! FILTHY FAGGOT!"

Gilbert growled and tackled Tucker to the floor. "STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM!" He shrieked at the man.

He was able to get one punch in before Tucker quickly flipped Gilbert off him and pinned him to the ground. The elder smirked sadistically. "Defending your little whore? Must be really good in bed if you're willing to risk your life for him. Just like his slut for a mother. The bitch was just begging to get fucked. She enjoyed every second of it."

Gilbert growled and head butted the bastard in the nose. He grinned when he heard a satisfying crunch. But his victory was short lived when Tucker grabbed him by the throat and started to strangle him.

"Fucking useless faggot." Hissed Tucker as he tightened his grip on the albino's neck. "Should have just fucking shot you the second I saw you. Looks like the pigs are going to get some extra nourishment today!"

Gilbert gasped for breath and clawed at Tucker's hands, but it was useless. The oxygen to his brain was getting cut off rapidly. He was sure that if Tucker continued to squeeze as hard as he was now his neck was going to snap long before he suffocated. As Gilbert's world started to spin into darkness he had one final thought. '_I love you Birdie…_'

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

From Matthew's position on the floor he could hear and see everything and he was trembling in fear. '_Why? Why does this always happen to me? Why does everyone I care about get hurt or die?_' When Gilbert stopped moving was when Matthew really felt terrified. '_He… he killed him… No… NO!_'

He moved as quickly as he could towards Gilbert's lifeless body and held onto his hand. "No…" He whimpered as tears filled his eyes. "No, no, no, no…"

Tucker chuckled and stepped away from his son and the corpse of his lover. "Get over it. He was just a faggot. A freak. A monster"

Matthew took in a few shaky breaths. Taking time to let Tucker's words sink in. "A monster…" He muttered, his voice slowly starting to rise. "The one person that knew everything about me and accepted and loved me for what I am is a monster? You know what a real monster is?" He could feel his heart starting to beat rapidly in his chest, at an almost frantic pace. "A person who kidnaps children for their own disgusting urges. A person who murders because it's fun. A person who tortures because they love seeing people in pain. The real monster… IS YOU!"

Without warning two tentacles burst out of Matthew's back. They weren't grey like before, but bloodied and patchy. He couldn't change the shape of them to cut or stab, but he was able to knock Tucker off his feet. He flew across the room and slammed into the wall near the step and groaned. "Shit… that stuff wore off quicker than I expected." He turned and quickly ran up the steps, locking the door behind him.

When he was gone Matthew quickly turned his attention back to Gilbert and checked his vital signs. '_I need to start his heart again!_' He thought in a panic. He quickly looked around the room when his eyes fell on the car battery. '_… Close enough._'

He wrapped a tentacle around the car battery and pulled it over. The jump leads were still attached so he could assume the current was still flowing through it. Matthew quickly pulled off Gilbert's shirt and struck the jump leads together, watching the sparks fly.

Without hesitation he quickly pressed the jump leads against Gilbert's chest. He watched as Gilbert's back arched slightly before falling back down. Matthew quickly checked his vital signs again before quickly zapping him again.

This time when Gilbert convulsed he gasped for air and started breathing again. "The fuck just happened?"

Matthew grinned and hugged Gilbert tightly. "I thought you were dead!"

Gilbert smiled and coughed a little. "What happened to your tentacles? They're all… mangled…"

"I'm guessing acid to the back does that." Said Matthew with a small smile. He looked up a little when he heard the floor boards above creek a little. Without even thinking one of his tentacles slammed through the wood and ripped some of it away. He could hear Tucker cursing from the floor above.

"What are you doing?" Asked Gilbert.

Matthew grinned a little as several more tentacles started moving out of his back and started to rip the floorboards apart. "I'm going to kill him." When he had made a large enough hole he reached through it and pulled himself out of the basement. All that mattered to him at the moment was murdering Tucker.

"Matthew!" Cried Gilbert.

Matthew looked back down at Gilbert and smiled. "I'll be back in a second. Just stay there." He quickly pulled himself into the kitchen and looked around. There were some shotgun shells on the table and knocked into the ground. Tucker was probably going to try to shoot him. He chuckled a little. "What's the matter papa? Afraid of me now?"

He leaned against the table a little, trying to keep his balance, although his legs weren't injured too badly, they still felt a little off. This was probably due to the fact that he hadn't walked in days, but if he really was going to fall he could always use a tentacle for support. He closed his eyes, trying to hear where Tucker might be. There was a small creaking noise from upstairs.

Matthew grinned and started to rip the ceiling apart to get to the next floor. "You can't hide from me!" He cried out as he started to pull himself up. "I'll find you, and I'll kill you for what you've done!"

He pulled himself up to the second floor and started to look around. There wasn't much up there, just a bathroom a bedroom and a few spare rooms. Matthew growled deep in his throat. '_Where the fuck is he?_'

He walked down the hall and into a room. This room was relatively small with one piece of furniture in it; a large wooden wardrobe that was facing an open window. Another growl rumbled through Matthew's throat as he slowly moved towards the wardrobe. He pressed his ear against the door and grinned when he heard the slight ragged breathing of his father.

With a twisted grin he pulled open the door only to come face to face with the barrel of Tucker's shotgun. Matthew gulped. "Shit… Forgot about that…"

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Gilbert was standing at the basement door hacking away at the lock with a knife when he heard the gun shot. He gulped. "Matthew…" With the thought that it might have been his lover that got shot he started to barge against the door, doing his best to try and get out.

Eventually the lock gave way and Gilbert was able to get out of the basement. He ran upstairs to where he had heard the gun shot only to find that the room was completely empty. The only noticeable features of the room were the wardrobe and the open window.

He quickly ran over to the window and looked outside. From what he could see it looked like Matthew had been shot and fallen out of the window. He wasn't moving. '_Oh shit! Oh fucking shit!_'

Gilbert gulped and quickly ran back down stairs. He paused when he got to the lounge room. On the table was his gun. He grinned a little and grabbed the weapon. If Matthew was still alive he was going to make sure that Tucker didn't get his hands on him.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Matthew gazed up at the sky, unable to think properly. One second he was looking down the barrel of a shot gun and the next he was on the ground outside. He didn't have a bullet hole in him so he assumed that he either deflected it or it missed and in all the commotion he jumped back accidently jumping out the window.

'… _Did I really jump out the window?_' He thought to himself. '_Wouldn't be surprised if I did, I fuck up everything._' Slowly he rolled onto his side, grateful that his tentacles cushioned his fall slightly so he didn't have any broken bones. More than anything he was just stunned.

He coughed a little as he slowly pulled him into a sitting position. He shook his head and hissed a little in pain, the wounds covering his body were bleeding pretty badly again. "At least I didn't fall through a closed window." He muttered. "That would have been really bad…"

As he was slowly coming to his senses he felt the barrel of Tucker's gun pressing against his forehead. "Retract your tentacles now boy." He hissed. "If you fail to comply I'll blow your brains out."

"Shoot me." Hissed Matthew dangerously. "You're a fucking coward and a monster. I've met Tentacula that are better at you in every way. They accept other people, they care for them and they only fall in love once with the person they feel most connected to, gender doesn't matter. I'd rather die than spend another second listening to your pious bullshit."

Tucker chuckled. "You really are a piece of work… After I kill you, I'm going to cut you and your boyfriend up like animals and feed you to my pigs. The poor dears haven't had a real good feed in weeks."

"Shoot him and I'll be the one feeding you to the pigs." Growled Gilbert darkly. Matthew looked up in surprise. Gilbert was standing behind Tucker, pressing a gun into his back. "Throw your gun away right now or things could get really messy."

Tucker frowned but dropped the gun and kicked it away. "Fuck this shit." He muttered darkly.

As soon as he was disarmed Matthew pounced. With an animalistic growl he knocked his father to the ground and started ripping away at the skin on his face, neck and arms. "DIE!" He screamed. "DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! HURRY UP AND DIE!"

Unexpectedly he was pulled off and pushed away. Gilbert was standing between the two blonds. "It's over Matthew." He said sternly. "Leave him be."

Matthew hissed at Gilbert like a cat. "Get out of the way."

"Murder isn't the answer." Snapped Gilbert. "You want him to pay for what he's done right? Let the courts handle this! I've seen firsthand murderers and serial killers that wanted justice for people that have wronged them and others."

"Who cares?" Snapped Matthew. "He murdered many women and Tentacula. He tortured me and tried to kill you! He deserves to die!"

"You're better than him!" Said Gilbert. "You don't deliberately kill people. If you kill your father now, you may as well be your father."

Matthew glared at Gilbert with dangerous eyes. "I'm not a paedophile or a rapist."

"But you will be a monster." Said Gilbert. "Let's just call the police. Let's just end this."

Matthew muttered a few curses under his breath and looked away from Gilbert. He wanted to murder Tucker in cold blood, but he saw the logic in what Gilbert was saying. Murder wasn't in his nature. It was just something that seemed to happen a lot around him.

While this was happening the duo didn't seem to notice Tucker slowly moving back towards his gun. Until it was too late. He chuckled a little to himself. "After everything I've done I won't go to jail… I'd rather die by my own hand then that of my bastard son or lethal injection." With a small degree of difficulty Tucker opened his mouth and fired the last bullet.

It was disturbing to say the least. Tucker's brain and cranium splattered the ground and his body fell lifelessly to the ground. Matthew just stared at the scene in front of him with wide eyes. He never expected that to happen. Not in a million years.

Gilbert on the other hand grinned. "Knew that would happen."

"How?" Asked Matthew curiously. Tucker didn't seem like the kind of person to murder himself.

"Well, for starters he had too much pride to go to jail." Said Gilbert. "He was a psycho with a mission. By the way he talked about Tentacula and… faggots… He just seemed to have a bit of a god complex. Plus he was fucking insane. When boxed in with no way of escape death is the only option. It doesn't have to make sense to us. It only has to make sense to him." He offered his hand out to Matthew smiling warmly. "Come on Birdie. We need to call the police or something."

Matthew sighed and got up. He knew better than anyone that once someone was dead there was no getting them back. As he stood up everything started to spin. This sudden case of vertigo caused Matthew to fall over and black out.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Matthew groaned a little as he slowly opened his eyes again. The room he was in was completely white and smelt of chemicals. He tried to move his arms but they ached so much. Looking down he saw he had hundreds of needles in them. By the looks of things he was in some kind of hospital.

He sighed a little. '_Damn it… well at least my wounds probably won't get any worse…_'

After a few minutes of staring blankly at the ceiling someone opened the door to his room. He looked up and was pleased to see it was Gilbert and not a doctor. "Before you ask, you had a mild brain haemorrhage. It kind of happened when you hit your head after you fell out of the window."

Matthew smiled a little. "Okay… Are you okay? How did we get here?"

Vash and Lily, Tucker's neighbours called the police when they heard the gun shots." Said Gilbert. "When they showed up so did the ambulance and that's how you ended up here in Nightingale."

Matthew frowned. He didn't want to be back in Nightingale, but it was better than nothing. "Oh… okay…"

Out of nowhere Gilbert produced a clip board and grinned. "Time to go over the basics."

"What basics?" Asked Matthew curiously. The first time he came here they didn't go over this kind of thing.

"Your name is still Matthew Williams." Said Gilbert as he flipped over the papers he had. "Your father walked out on you and your mother when you were born. Your mother raised you until she died when you were eighteen."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about Gil?"

Gilbert either didn't hear Matthew or chose to ignore him. "You moved to the city the same year your mother died and struggled to find a job. You ended up working in a coffee shop where you met a guy called Alfred. You two became close friends and shared an apartment together."

"I'm serious Gilbert." Said Matthew. "What are you talking about?"

"When you started working in that coffee shop you started to serve an albino who happened to be a biographer." Said Gilbert, keeping his eyes on the paper and not on Matthew. "Earlier this year the albino told you about a biography he was working on about a Tentacula known as Shredder. Six months ago Shredder turned up dead on a property in Texas. It's assumed from the marks on his body that he was tortured for days and days on end."

Matthew tilted his head in confusion. '_Eh? I have no idea what he's going on about._'

"Around the same you happened to get into a car crash." Said Gilbert calmly as he looked at the last page on the clip board. "You were badly burnt and your hand was badly broken, but it'll heal. When you were passed out on medication the albino realized how much you meant to him and remembered something that you said to him before you got into that terrible accident. Something along the lines of owing him a favour if they ever met again." He put down the clip board and smiled lovingly at Matthew. "Move in with me."

Matthew looked at Gilbert in disbelief. "Eh? Aren't I going to jail or something?"

Gilbert grinned and shook his head. "After I got in touch with Roderich I managed to pull some strings with him and you're now part of the witness protection program. As far as the world is concerned Shredder is dead and all other information that says otherwise has been changed or deleted from any and all government documents. As far as anyone knows you're just Matthew William's a registered Tentacula."

Matthew's eyes widened with shock. "I… I have a fresh start? I'm no longer considered a-a monster or a criminal? I'm just a normal Tentacula?"

Gilbert nodded. "Yes." Matthew grinned from ear to ear as small tears of joy started to form in his eyes. "So are you going to move in with me?"

Matthew nodded. "Yes!" He cried. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" For the first time in Matthew's life things seemed to finally be looking up.

**TBC**

**Shinigami-cat: **One more chapter after this one! Please rewview!


	28. Epilogue

**Shinigami-cat: **Hey everyone! Lately my sister's been a bit of a bitch to me so I'm not feeling myself, so sorry if this chapter sucks… I OWN NOTHING!

**Epilogue**

When Matthew moved in with Gilbert there were a few odd looks from the albino's friends but he easily brushed it off as something else. It was good enough for some people, but others were still a little sceptical. Eventually though everyone became used to him and warmed up to him.

"How is Gilbert doing?" Asked Elizabeth as she leaned against the counter top.

Matthew smiled happily as he started cooking some chicken in a frypan. "He's doing pretty well. Taking a break from doing all those biographies was a really good idea."

Elizabeth grinned happily. "Good. How about you? Has your back healed up properly yet?"

Matthew blushed a little. "Well… the scabs sort of rub off sometimes because of… Anyway, the point is they're almost completely gone now."

Elizabeth smirked devilishly. "Does this have anything to do with certain bedroom activities?" Matthew's face turned dark red. "I knew it… Ever tried using your tentacles on him?" Matthew's face turned a dangerous shade of red and Elizabeth grinned. "Knew it! I knew it! I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Asked Francis as he waltzed into the kitchen holding an empty wine class.

"Nothing." Muttered Matthew. "If you're looking for the wine it's at the bottom of the fridge."

Francis grinned and quickly retrieved it. "What a good nephew I have, he got my brand of wine." When Francis had been properly introduced to Matthew he could tell immediately that Matthew was Matilda's son and did his best to make him feel welcome. Matthew still thought it was weird that Francis was his uncle, but it was wonderful to talk to someone who knew about his mother.

"It's my brand of wine too." Said Matthew. "Could you take out the salad?"

Francis chuckled and took the salad. "This is chicken caesar salad supposed to have chicken in it?"

Matthew quickly took the chicken out of the pan and chopped it up before tossing it into the salad. "There, done." Francis smiled and took the wine and salad out of the room.

Elizabeth grinned a little. "Well I guess I better get back to everyone. Finish up here soon."

"I will." Said Matthew softly. When Elizabeth was gone Matthew sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "So many people…"

Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped themselves around Matthew's torso. "It isn't so bad." Said Gilbert. "But if you really feel that uncomfortable we can always kick them out."

Matthew chuckled a little and shook his head. "Don't be silly. It's just… unusual for me. I don't really do to well in crowds."

Gilbert smiled and kissed Matthew's cheek. "I know… Come out and have something to eat and drink."

Matthew nodded and reluctantly followed Gilbert out to the lounge room. Earlier that day they had moved the furniture to set up a large dining table. They weren't celebrating anything in particular; they just wanted to have dinner with their friends. Sitting at the table was Elizabeth, Roderich, Feliks, Toris, Francis, Feliciano, Lovino, Antonio, Ludwig, Alfred and Arthur.

When Matthew had gotten back he had started to work at the coffee shop with Alfred and they became as close as brothers again. By becoming friends with Alfred, Matthew had started to get to know Arthur. Alfred's boyfriend. Matthew had also kept in close contact with Feliks and talked to the sassy man regularly. That was also how he became friends with Toris.

Feliciano and Lovino, who had taught him how to paint and draw, had also become close friends to him. That was how he was introduced to Antonio and started to see Ludwig as less of a heartless excuse for a human. The way he acted around Feliciano proved it. Francis and Matthew acted more like friends then as relatives. One would expect as much when they grew up apart.

Elizabeth was a strange woman in Matthew's opinion. She was sweet and motherly towards him most of the time, but she could be a real bitch and one hell of a scary monster at times. But that was mainly when Gilbert pissed her off. Through her Matthew met Roderich. He still hadn't really formulated an opinion of him yet, but he seemed nice enough… even if Gilbert hated him.

Gilbert pulled Matthew down into a seat next to him and grinned. "Let's eat! The awesome me is starved!"

"Albino bastard has an ego the size of Saturn." Muttered Lovino as he grabbed a tomato. So that Matthew didn't have to do cook everything himself, because Gilbert's a lazy ass, everyone brought a dish of their choice. So everyone had a great variety of food to choose from.

Soon everyone was happily talking and eating. Matthew smiled as he watched what was going on around him. Even though he had many friends he was still social awkward. "Are you like, going to eat anything?" Asked Feliks with a small pout.

Matthew blushed. He had no food on his plate. "S-sorry."

Feliks grinned a little. "Do I like have to force feed you or something?"

Matthew quickly piled a small mountain of food onto his plate. "I'm good! I swear it!"

"Are you sure?" Asked Alfred, sharing the same grin as Feliks. "You still aren't eating. You're just looking at it… Looks like you aren't going to be able to finish it all." If there was one thing that Matthew and Alfred seemed to share was a small competitive streak when it came to stupid things like this.

"Is that a challenge?" Asked Matthew.

Alfred grinned and quickly pilled the same amount of food onto his plate. "Three, two, one go!" The two of them started to shovel food into their mouths like they hadn't eaten in years.

"You two are like, so immature." Said Feliks.

"They might choke…" Said Toris softly.

"If Alfred chokes it's his own bloody fault." Muttered Arthur.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

After Alfred almost choked on a chicken bone the eating contest was called off with no winner, although in Gilbert's opinion Matthew was clearly the winner. The night dragged on a little with more talk about this and that until eventually people started to leave. Gilbert chuckled a little to himself as he ushered them out.

"We really should go drinking again sometime." He said to Antonio and Francis.

"Si, we do." Said Antonio in agreement. He was being pulled out the door by Lovino.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Later albino bastard." Said Lovino.

Francis chuckled. "Why the rush to go home? You and Antonio planning some late night activities?"

"Shut up or I'll kill you."

Once everyone was gone Gilbert walked back into the kitchen where Matthew was washing dishes. He smiled and walked up behind him, kissing his neck. "Come to bed."

"I'm doing the dishes." Muttered Matthew quietly. As he half-heartedly pushed Gilbert away. "Just give me a few more minutes."

Gilbert pouted and wrapped his arms around Matthew's waist. "Please Birdie? You can do the dishes tomorrow." When Matthew made no move to leave Gilbert frowned and rested his head against Matthew's shoulder. "So… How's everyone going?"

"Alfred doesn't have to take so much medication anymore, so that's good." Said Matthew happily. "Five more years and he won't have to take anymore ever. Feliks also finally got a job at that hairdresser. He's really thrilled about it and it's always nice to see everyone else… It almost feels like I'm part of a real family."

Gilbert smiled a little and kissed Matthew's neck again. "Families come in all different shapes and sizes."

"I know." Said Matthew. He turned his head and kissed Gilbert on the cheek. "Can we not tonight? I ate way too much to even be living at the moment."

"I don't mind." Said Gilbert. He took the last plate out of the sink and put it in the drying wrack. "Done. Let's go." He took Matthew's hand and led him to the bedroom.

**XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX**

Matthew chuckled a little as his boyfriend pulled him along. He loved Gilbert more than anything in the world. The albino made him feel protected and safe. Sometimes he wondered if Gilbert knew how much he meant to him. He had tried to put it into words many times but failed miserably. Still, Gilbert just smiled and kissed him. Showing that he cared for him too.

He loved Gilbert for loving him, for looking past all his flaws, for looking past his messed up life, his scared body and everything else. He still didn't feel worthy of his love, but was grateful for it none the less.

"You're spacing out again Birdie." Said Gilbert.

Matthew shook his head a little. He was surprised that he was standing in the bedroom and equally surprised to see that Gilbert was already in bed. He chuckled a little and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, sorry about that… Just thinking about stuff, that's all."

Gilbert smiled a little and patted the space next to him. "It's fine Birdie. Just come to bed." Matthew nodded and quickly changed into some pants and a long shirt before climbing into bed next to Gilbert. As soon as Matthew touched the mattress Gilbert wrapped his arms around Matthew and pulled him close.

"I love you more than anything in the world." He muttered softly into Matthew's hair.

Matthew blushed and smiled. "Thank you Gil. I love you too… I'm just worried that I don't show you enough…"

Gilbert chuckled and ran his fingers through Matthew's hair. "I know you love me. Just by staying by my side I know that you love me." Matthew smiled and kissed Gilbert. For the first time in his life he felt like he truly belonged.

**The End**

**Shinigami-cat: **And that was it! I hope you all enjoyed this story! Please check out my other ones if you have the time! Peace out! Love you all!


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